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HOLDEN'S 



BOOK ON BIRDS. 



BY 

CHARLES F. HOLDEN. 



" Little dewdrops of celestial melody." — Carlylb. 









-r\0' 



NEW-YORK BIRD -STORE, PUBLISHERS, 
9 BowDoiN Square, Boston. 

MDCCCLXXV. 



3 ^4t) 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18/5, 

By CHARLES F. HOLDEN, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



Boston : 
Rand, Avery, & Co., Stereotvpers and Printers. 




PREFACE. 



The work herewith presented is the offspring of 
my former editions, with such additions as my con- 
tinued business as a bird-dealer has suggested. 

The previous editions have been carefully revised, 
and additions made of thirty-two pages of reading 
matter, and a like number of illustrations. 

A few poems have been selected expressive of the 
beauties of birds, and the pleasures which they give 
us ; and I trust they will find as many admirers as 
have their authors. In these poems is expressed a 
beautiful delicacy of thought, for which my pen is 
hardly gifted. 

Thanks for valuable information and assistance 
are due to Miss Mary Helen Boodey of Laconia, 
N.H., Mr. W. W. Caldwell, Mr. George B. Pear- 
son, my brother Mr. George H. Holden, and many 
others. 

The book in its new form, I hope, will retain all of 
its former friends, and that thousands of new ones 
may be added. C. F. H. 

January, 1875. 

3 




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Frontispiece The Author 

Aviary loo 

Australian Paroquet 73 

Bobolink 88 

Brazilian Cardinal 77 

Blackbird 59 

Black-Cap 50 

Bulfinch 43 

Canary .... ... ..... .g 

Chaffinch 40 

Goldfinch • 32 

Grosbeak, Rose-breasted 86 

Indigo-Bird <- . . . 98 

Java Sparrow . . . . • 7S 

Linnet, Gray , 37 

" Red .92 

Mocking-Bird 81 

Nightingale 46 

Nonpareil • 95 

Parrot, Gray 63 

Robin, American 99 

" English 61 

Sky-Lark 53 

Siskin f ........... 39 

Sparrow, English , , 64 

^ " Song 97 

btarling •?•.,,,, .... . . 63 

Troopial, South American , , 75 

Thrush, Song , , . , 57 

Virginia Nightingale . , , , 90 

Wood-Lark 55 

Yellow-Bird 94 

iv 




CONTENTS. 





PAGE 




PAGE 


Preface .... 


3 


Diarrhoea . . . . . 


13 


Contents .... 


5 






Advice to Purchasers 


ii6 


Egg-bound. 


26 


Adams' Express 


III 


Egg Paste .... 


12 


Ants' Eggs 


82 


Eggs, Birds eat them 


28 


Asthma .... 


13 


Epilepsy . . . '. 


14 


Appetite, loss of 


19 


Express, Safety of . . . 


1 10 


AustraHan Paroquet . 


73 






For treatment, see Parrot 


68 


Feathers off Head . 


18 


Aviary 


100 


Female Canary will mate with 


25 






Finches for Aviary 


lOI 


Best Singers . . . . 


ri8 


Avadavat 


101 


Bird Cages . . . . 


119 


Banded Finch 


103 


" Lice 


19 


Bishop Finch . 


106 


« Lime 


121 


Cordon Blue Finch 


101 


Birds are hatched 


27 


Cut-throat Finch . 


104 


" bathe whilst mated . 


20 


Cuba Findi . 


103 


'■ brought up by hand . 


29 


Diamond Sparrow Fiijch 


104 


" bristle up . 


10 


Fire Finch 


X03 


'■ desert their Young . 


29 


Indian Silver-bill Finch. 


102 


" Limbs broken . 


16 


Magpie Finch 


104 


" will not bathe . 


20 


Negro Fincli . 


103 


Blackbird .... 


59 


Nun Finch 


104 


Black-Cap .... 


SO 


Paradise Whydah-Bird . 


105 


Bobolink .... 


88 


Quaker Finch 


. 102 


Brazilian Cardinal 


77 


Red-tail Finch 


102 


Breeding Cages . 


23 


Rockhampton Finch 


102 


Bulfinch .... 


43 


Saffron Finch . 


103 






Spotted-sided Finch 


104 


Canary .... 


9 


Spice-Bird 


. 102 


Cage, one suitable 


120 


St. Helena Finch . 


. lOI 


Cause of Disease 


12 


Wax-bill. 


. 101 


Chaffinch .... 


40 


Food for Birds . 


. 28 


Claws require cutting 


18 






Cleansing Brass Cages 


122 


Goldfinch .... 


32 


Colds 


12 


'• Diseases . 


34 


Costiveness 


14 


" Mules 


• 34 


Crowlev. David . 


. rii 


Gravel Paper, Singer's 


. 120 


Cuttle-fish .... 


• 19 


Grosbeak, Rose-breast 


86 



VI CONTENTS. 






PACE 




r.\r.B 


Handsome Thirds, how raised 


26 


Parrot, Diarrhcea 


. . 70 


Haitz Mountains 


22 


'' Sore I' eet 


71 


Hatching Birds . 


27 


" Lice and Fits 


71 


Hard Breathing, 


13 


Paradise Whydah-bir 


d . .105 


How to mate Birds . 


. 25 


Patience in Training 


. 112 






Postage on Seed 


no 


Indigo-Bird 


98 


Poor Luck with Birds 


30 


Insect Powder . 


ig 






Insects for Soft-bill Birds . 


82 


Raising Birds . 


23 






Remedial Agents 


21 


Java Sparrow . 


78 


Robin, American 


99 






" English . 


. 6i 


Lark, Sky .... 


53 


Rupture 


15 


" Wood . 


• 55 






Ladies' Dress . 


. 118 


Saffron 


20 


Linnet, Gray 


37 


Scales on Limbs 


• -I/ 


" Red 


92 


Sexual Desire . 


24 


" Mules . 


38 


Selecting Birds . 


. ii6 


Lice on Birds . 


^^9 


Seed for Birds . 


. 108 


Loss of Voice . 


13 


" Sicily Canary 


. 108 






" German Rape 


. 108 


Males and Females, how raised 


25 


' Hemp 


. 108 


Mating Birds 


25 


" Millet 


. no 


'• Fever 


24 


'* Maw, or Poppy 


. J09 


Meal-Worms, how bred . 


83 


'• Paddy 


. 109 


Mocking-Bird . 


81 


" Cracked Corn 


. no 


Food . 


. 82 


'^ Cracked Wheat 


. no 


Lice . 


84 


Siskin 


• -39 


Moulting, A Young Bird shoulc 


I 30 


Singer's Gravel Pape 


r . . 120 


" when a Ijird should 


16 


" Smothenng " Birds 


. 121 


"My Bird is Sick" . 


12 


Sneezing 


15 






Song Sparrow . 


• 97 


Nightingale 


46 


Song most admired 


22 


Nonpareil .... 


• 95 


Sore Feet . 


17 






Sparrow, English 


. . 64 


Poems 




Java . 


79 


Beautiful Birds 


31 


Starling 


• 63 


Birds of Kilhngworth . 


42 


Sweating . 


. 16 


Black-Cap 


50 


Swollen and Sore Lin 


lbs . . 17 


Blackbird «... 


59 






Bobolink . ... 


88 


Taming Birds . 


. 112 


Canary .... 


10 


Teaching Birds . 


1 12 


Chorus of Heaven . 


35 


Temperature for Bird 


s . . 12 


Goldfinch 


• 32 


Tobacco Smoke . 


. 122 


Gray Parrot . 


. 68 


Trapping Birds . 


121 


Linnet .... 


37 


Training Birds . 


. 112 


Mocking-Bird 


So 


Trap Cage . 


. 121 


Niehtinsiale . 


46 


Troopial, South Ame 


rican . 75 


Old-World Sparrow 


64 


Thrush, Song 


• 57 


Robin Redbreast . 


61 






Song of Birds 


7 


Virginia Nightingale 


. 90 


Tune his Merry Note . 


52 






Thrush .... 


57 


Wood-Lark 


• 55 


Under the Greenwood Tree 


52 


Wrapping up Birds 


. 122 


Valentine's Day 


24 






Parrot, Gray or Green 


68 


Yellow-birds 


. 94 


" Yellow-head . 


68 


Yellow Gall 


15 


'■ Suitable Food 


69 


Young Birds 


. 28 


" Pulling out Feathers 


69 


Your Bird Store 


. 117 




THE SONG OF BIRDS. 

BY W. W. CALDWELL. 

When spring returns in bud and flower, 

And south winds breathe o'er hill and plain, 
And winter's cold hath lost its power; 
Then longings come to hear again 

From field and grove the blackbird's call, 
The sparrow's chirp, and, over all, 
The bobolink's exultant strain. 

When summer blushes in the rose, 
And woodland odors fill the air, 
And all the grassy wayside glows 

With golden light and blossoms fair ; 
In welcome shade I love to rest, 
While near me, o'er his hidden nest, 
The linnet trills, and lulls my care : 



Or wake at early dawn, when now 
Faint flushes up the orient play, 
And hear from every leafy bough 
Glad choirs their adoration pay ; 
Or, when the twilight purples die. 
Thrill to the robin's plaintive cry. 
His farewell to departing day. 



THE SONG OF BIRDS. 

And still, when winter spreads around 

The chilly covering of the snow, 
And woods in dreary silence bound 
No more with sounds of joy o'erflow, 
Beside my hearth I sit, and hear 
The same sweet music ringing clear. 
And summer-time within I know. 

For look ! where at the window swings 

Yon blithe canary, full of glee ; 
And answers to my call, and sings 
All day his varied melody, 
So that I seem to hear again 
The skylark's song across the main, 
Or nightingale in Thessaly. 

Newburyport, Jan. 14, 1875. 





THE CANARY. 



The sweetest music of nature is the singing of 
those little angels of the trees, the birds. It glad- 
dens the heart to hear their " wood-notes wild " 
ringing through those great cathedrals, the woods, 
whose tall green pillars are reared by the wonder- 
working hand of God. Their song seems to make 



lO . THE CANARY. 

the sunshine brighter ; and we have often fancied 
we could see the golden rays darting and flashing, 
and keeping time to their warblings. 
■ No doubt, when Eve wandered through pden, and 
Adam wove her a bower of blushing roses, that the 
birds sang the self-same tune which they do now, 
and that the angels often listened when they 
"walked in the garden in the cool of day." 

In all ages, in all countries, as far back as we 
have any record of time, the singing of birds has 
given delight to mankind ; and they must many 
a time have gladdened the hearts of Noah and his 
family, when he sailed over the wild waste of waters 
in his ark ; and the children that were with him 
would listen, and recall the green nestling places 
then deep down beneath the waves, where the sweet- 
voiced birds built and sang. 

The wildwood hath its mhistrels sweet, 

That fill the forest-aisles with joy ; 
And oft we seek their loved retreat, 

To listen to the singers coy. 
But not to woods need we repair 

To hear the sweet canary's song : 
He trills his clear and varied air 

In quiet homes or city throng. 
He loves our kindness and our praise, 
And gladly cheers our darkest days. 

Maiy Helen Boodey. 

Europeans have never known, to a certainty, the 
exact date of introduction of this charming warbler. 



THE CANARY. II 



Aldrovandus describes the bird in his Ornithology, 
which bears date 1610. 

Many authors assert that the island of Elba was 
the first European ground on which a canary found 
resting-place, having flown thither from a ship bound 
to Leghorn, which foundered near the island. These 
sweet songsters, thus set at liberty by accident, found 
a congenial clime, remained, and bred ; and doubt- 
less would have continued to do so, had not bird- 
trappers hunted them so assiduously, that not a 
single specimen was left on the island. 

From Italy the birds were transported to France 
and Germany ; and from the latter place the whole 
habitable globe is supplied. So we might with truth 
say, that, among the musicians who come to our 
shores to charm us with their notes, the largest 
orchestra is that of the singing-birds. They require 
very little of our money, and never demand an opera- 
house as the only theatre worthy their performance. 
A few dollars will buy one of these sweet singers, 
and a few more will build or buy an opera-house for 
his performances. He charges nothing for his sing- 
ing, and is not fastidious as to his accommodations, 
carolling just as sweetly in the attic of the tired 
sewing-woman as in the boudoir of the fashionable 
lady. He becomes a friend to the lonely, and a 
comforter to such as are in trouble. From his cage, 
as well as from the wildwood, he sings of the love 
and care of Him without whose knowledge not one of 
the feathered tribe can fall to the ground. Like 
flowers, birds are a beautiful gift to a friend, with this 



12 THE CAUSE OF MOST DISEASE. 

advantage, — they live longer, and, by their con- 
stant voice, recall to mind the giver. 

The very general desire of the public to know 
how to take the best possible care of their pets, and 
the wish of the whole bird-trade for a treatise that 
could be implicitly relied upon, free from all the 
scientific attainments so freely shown in large works, 
and at a popular price, has led the author to publish 
what has been his own experience through a number 
of years. 

First, we will commence with sick birds and their 
treatment. " My bird is sick : what shall I do for 
it ? " this question is asked at the bird-stores times 
without number, daily ; and it is just as easy an- 
swered without knowing what ails the bird, as it is 
for a physician to prescribe accurately for a disease 
when simply informed that a member of the family 
is sick, "and please send up some medicine at once." 

The Cause of most Disease is colds, which are 
occasioned by either hanging a bird in a draught of 
air, near a loose-fitting window, or keeping him in a 
very hot room (sixty degrees is the proper tempera- 
ture for a bird) through the day, and then in a cool 
one at night, — a variation of perhaps forty degrees 
in twenty-four hours. This cold, if not cured at 
once, leads to asthma, and from that to a disease 
known as the gapes. The best cure for the cold 
is to feed, in addition to their regular seed, rape 
and canary, and perhaps millet, a paste made 
from a hard-boiled Qgg and one pulverized cracker, 
thoroughly mixed together, using no water in mixing, 



LOSS OF VOICE. 13 

the egg supplying sufficient moisture. Sometimes a 
bird seems hoarse, and apparently has 

Lost his Voice. — This is occasioned by over- 
singing : a little pure rock-candy, not flavored, dis- 
solved in the drinking-water, and a quantity of red 
pepper put into the paste described above, will 
usually effect a cure. If, however, the cold is allowed 
to remain for several days without any attention or 
cure, it will pass rapidly from cold to asthma, and 
from that to gapes, which is best described by saying 
that the bird looks like a little puff-ball, with a con- 
stant panting, and his bill almost constantly opening 
and shutting, as if to catch breath. His food should 
be the same as described above. Many bird-fanciers 
have given small pieces of salt-pork (cut about the 
size of seed) with a quantity of red pepper thereon, 
with beneficial effect ; also keep the bird warm, and 
give, with his rape and canary, ripe plantain if it can 
be had. Every morning he should have a small tea- 
spoonful of warm bread and milk, and now and then 
a little bit of sponge-cake soaked in sherry wine. 

Asthma, or Hard Breathing, when arising 
from an oppressed stomach, generally yields to 
plantain and rape-seed, moistened with water, as 
the sole food. 

Birds troubled with a Diarrhoea can be 
greatly relieved by placing a rusty nail in their 
drinking-water. Another excellent remedy will be 
found in common chalk ; let a small piece be placed 
between the wires ; it is also well to scrape some 
quite fine, and scatter it with the sand on the bottom 



14 A BIRD BRISTLES UP. 

of the cage. Should a bird be troubled with the 
reverse of this complaint, — 

CosTiVENESS, — a piece of sweet apple, a little 
chickweed, lettuce, or any green food, will usually 
afford full relief. Most ailments of birds commence 
with a cold ; and the old adage of the " ounce of 
prevention," &c., is peculiarly applicable to the bird 
family. Oftentimes 

A Bird bristles up, sits moping upon the perch, 
with his head under his wing, and looks like a puif- 
ball. If this is occasioned by the bird having diar- 
rhoea, give the remedies as directed. Should it be 
occasioned by costiveness, see article above. 

Occasionally a bird will act in this manner when 
he has neither of these complaints. Should this be 
the case, examine first his food, and see if he has 
been properly fed. Many times it will be found 
that it is wholly occasioned by neglect in not feeding 
the bird, and sometimes by not supplying sufficient 
water for the bird to drink. If, however, it should 
prove that the bird has plenty of food, and is per- 
fectly regular, then make a change in his food, 
taking away the seed, and feeding the soft food as 
recommended for birds with colds, and perhaps a 
small piece of sweet apple. Occasionally a canary 
is troubled with 

Epilepsy. — A sure cure for this has never been 
discovered. The author ha's taken a bulfinch, and 
other birds affected, and cut the hind-claws just 
sufficient to draw the blood, holding the foot in warm 
(not hot) water until the blood ceased to flow ; then 



SNEEZING AND SWEATING. I5 

a slight sprinkling — with the hand — with cold 
water : then feeding only on rape-seed which had 
been previously soaked in water, and a liberal supply 
of apple and green stuff, as recommended above, 
has generally effected a cure. 

Rupture. — A kind of indigestion causes inflam- 
mation of the intestines, to which young birds are 
more especially subject. The symptoms are a swelling 
of the body, which, on blowing up the feathers, looks 
semi-transparent, and fuU^of red veins ; at the lower 
part are black turgid lumps, as though the intestines 
had fallen there in a knotted state. The cause of 
this is generally an over-abundance of nutrition^ or 
bad or stale food-or water; the remedy, if any there 
be, a spare diet, with a little alum or salt in the 
drink ; groats and oatmeal are good in this case ; if 
the bowels should be much relaxed, give bruised 
hemp and maw seed, with a little stale sponge-cake 
soaked in sherry wine. Sometimes the feathers of 
the bird come off : then rub the bare parts with fresh 
lard, or oil of almonds. 

Yellow Gall makes its appearance about the 
head and eyes ; sometimes there is a small ulcer the 
size of a hemp-seed. This must be carefully cut off 
with a sharp penknife, and the place anointed with 
fresh butter, or washed with urine ; the bird should 
have fresh nourishing food. 

Sneezing, often caused by an obstruction of the 
nostrils, may be cured by passing a very fine feather 
through them ; sometimes it is the result of a cold. 
Good food, and careful exclusion from draughts, are 
the remedies in this case. 



l6 WHEN A BIRD SHOULD MOULT. 

Sweating. — A female canary will at times con- 
fine herself too closely to the nest, and thus generate 
a superabundance of heat which often destroys the 
brood. Wash her in a good strong solution of salt, 
and after a few minutes with fresh water ; dry her as 
rapidly as possible in the sun. Do this once or 
twice a day, and sprinkle a little sherry wine over 
her plumage. Supply her with plenty of good food 
to tempt her off the nest ; she is most likely a weakly 
bird, and injures herself by sitting too close. A 
sweating female is not fit for a breeder, so never use 
her for this purpose twice. 

A question often asked is, — 

"When SHOULD a Bird moult?" — Most birds 
shed their feathers in the months of September and 
October ; and, though it is perfectly natural for them 
so to do, still the operation is accompanied with a 
slight disease. They should be fed on the soft 
paste before described ; and, as they are not well 
covered with feathers, great care should be taken to 
keep them in a comfortably warm place out of all 
draughts of air. With these precautions a bird will 
fully moult in from four to six weeks. Should a 
bird not shed his wing and tail feathers readily, it is 
well to pull them out, — pulling, however, only one 
at a time. 

Broken Limbs are best left to themselves. 
Human contrivances, where so fragile a tiring as a 
bird's leg or wing is concerned, are generally more 
mischievous than useful: Nature will, if possible. 



SWOLLEN LIMBS AND SORE FEET. 1 7 

perform the cure. Place the little sufferer carefully 
and tenderly in a small cage, without perches, upon 
some soft hay; let the seed and water be within 
reach, muffle up the cage with flannel or baize, keep 
every .thing as quiet as possible, so that the bird 
may not be excited to move ; the chances are, that, 
in a few days, all will be right again. 

Occasionally a bird's limbs will be covered with 
scales, particularly an old bird's. The best way to 
remove them is to moisten the limb with quite warm 
milk j and a slight rubbing with the thumb and fore- 
finger back and forth will cause them to peel off. 
Care should be taken, however, not to break the 
under-skin. 

Swollen and Sore Limbs are greatly relieved, 
and oftentimes a permanent cure effected, by bath- 
ing the affected parts with diluted tincture of 
arnica. 

Sore Feet. — This disease is usually occasioned 
by using a very small perch, and also by not using 
sufficient gravel for the bird to keep his feet clean. 
The perches for a canary, or other bird of similar 
size, should never be less than seven-sixteenths of an 
inch in diameter, and even larger ; and for a mock- 
ing-bird, and all birds of his size, perches of five- 
eighths to three-quarters of an inch in diameter are 
far preferable. With such perches, and plenty of 
gravel, a bird will seldom have sore feet. Should 
he, however, be so troubled, the best remedy is to 
wash the feet in a gill of warm water to which has 
been added ten drops of tincture of arnica. 



1 8 LONG CLAWS AND LOSS OF FEATHERS. 

It often happens that a 

Bird's Claws grow very long, and require 
cutting. This is a particular operation ; and care 
should be taken not to cut up into the blood-veins, 
which can be easily seen by holding the bird's claw 
in front of a strong light, and then not cutting with- 
in at least a sixteenth of an inch of the red vein. 

Why does my Bird lose the Feathers around 
HIS Bill, and his head become bare ? There are 
two reasons for this. First, many birds seem afflicted 
with an eruption, or skin-disease, which causes the 
feathers to drop out. Such birds should be fed 
principally upon rape-seed, and occasionally a small 
piece of raw carrot, of which most birds are very 
fond ; and, if a little olive-oil is at times put on the 
bare spot, the feathers will commence to grow more 
readily. Secondly, many birds are of a nervous 
and irritable disposition, never remaining in one 
position for a single instant, but are continually 
hopping to and fro against the wires of their cages, 
as if trying to get out, which is really the case ; 
and, by coming constantly in contact with the hard 
substance, they ruin their plumage. Such a bird 
should be hung quite low, or, better still, placed on 
a table where he can be occasionally talked to, and 
noticed : then he will soon become accustomed to 
his home. When partially quieted, bathe the bare 
parts with water into which has been placed ten 
drops of the tincture of arnica : after the soreness 
(if any there has been) disappears, use a little olive- 
oil, as before mentioned. 



BIRD-LICE AND LOSS OF APPETITE. IQ 

One source of great annoyance to a bird, and also 
to his owner, is the 

Little Red Bird-Lice. — We now put up a 
powder harmless to birds, which is applied directly 
to the bird, and effectually rids him of these annoy- 
ing pests. It is put up in envelopes, and will be 
sent to any address by mail, prepaid, on receipt of 
twenty-five cents. 

Lost his Appetite. — At such times it is well 
to give a very little hemp, and all the millet-seed a 
bird will eat ; and, if convenient, change the loca- 
tion of his cage to a more cheerful place. 

These comprise about all the diseases that the 
canary is subject to ; and we will here state, that all 
of the family of seed-eating birds have about the 
same ailments, and require similar treatment. 

CuTTLE-FiSH. — There is an impression, quite 
general, that the only use for cuttle-fish is as a "bill- 
sharpener ; " this is erroneous. The cuttle-fish is a 
mollusk caught in the China Sea, and is very largely 
used by all manufacturers of tooth-powder, its salty 
particles readily removing the tartar. All seed-eat- 
ing birds are fond of this, its salty taste seeming to 
give them a great relish for food. 

Birds, when proper care is taken of them, are 
rarely attacked with disease. If owners of feath- 
ered pets would first see that the cage is perfectly 
clean, and well supplied with plenty of gravel or 
gravel-paper for the bird to pick upon, and that the 
seed is of the very best quality, and that they are 
fed, and given a bath, at a regular hour daily, — then 



20 BIRDS BATHING. 

birds, if kept from draughts of air, and no trash, 
such as sugar, candy, figs, raisins, cake, &c., fed 
them, will sing from ten to eleven months out of the 
year; which they always do with the poor families in 
Germany, who find it impossible to get such luxu- 
ries. It is only the wealthy and better classes that 
have so-called '' poor luck with birds." And why ? 
Because they kill them with kindness, — though it is 
very unkind to the bird. 

I have often been told that a 

Bird will not bathe, and asked how we can 
make it. In reply, I can only say that I have never 
yet, in an experience of nearly twenty-five years, 
seen a bird that will not bathe. True, some will 
not enter a bath-dish, as we would wish them to, and 
will persist in putting their heads into their drink- 
ing-cups or fountains instead, and, after wetting 
their head, push it through their feathers, and then, 
with their bill, thoroughly clean themselves ; which 
is very like the person who uses the "wet end 
of a towel," instead of taking a proper ablution. 
For this there is no help ; and we can only hope, 
that, with age, they will discover the beauties of a 
toilet which can only be arranged after a first-class 
bath. 

" Do Birds bathe whilst mated ? " I can 
only say, that some do, and some do not. It is al- 
ways well to give a bird its bath, and leave it to the 
bird's judgment whether to bathe or not. 

Saffron as a Medicine for birds seems to be 
almost in universal use, though why it is used is 



HOLDEN S BIRD CURES. 21 

more than the author has ever been able to ascer- 
tain from those using it, more than that " My folks 
used to use it ; " and they presume that the bird 
required it. The medicinal property of saffron is 
diaphoretic, and used mostly to color and flavor 
other medicines. When chewed, it leaves a bitter 
taste in the mouth, though a pleasant aromatic 
flavor. It is not impossible that its bitter taste to 
the bird may give an increased appetite, which per- 
haps the bird needed, and in that way health is re- 
stored. The author, however, has discovered no 
medicinal property in it, excepting that of a cathar- 
tic ; and, as such, it is very good. But quiet to the 
bird is the best remedy ; and it is best obtained by 
covering the bird up quite closely on the first ap- 
pearance of ailment. 

Remedial Agents. — We put up in envelopes 
simple remedies for the cure of the following com- 
plaints ; all of which are known as " Holden's Bird 
Cure." Cure No. One, for diarrhoea; No. Two, for 
constipation ; No. Three, for debility ; No. Four, for 
moulting ; No. Five, for asthma, and loss of voice. 
Either one of the above will be forwarded by mail, 
prepaid, on receipt of twenty-five cents. Or the 
five remedies mentioned above, and one package of 
German Insect Powder (see p. 19), will all be for- 
warded, prepaid, on receipt of one dollar and 
twenty-five cents. 

As many who own birds have a desire to breed 
them, a little information may not be amiss to the 
new beginner. 



2 2 GERMAN BREEDERS. 

Were you to visit one of the large breeding estab- 
lishments in Germany, you would observe a quantity 
of rooms arranged very much after the style of the 
sleeping-apartments of a hotel. Each of the rooms 
is properly furnished with light, ventilation, a quan- 
tity of small trees, feeding-boxes, water for bathing 
and drinking, and on the sides of the room a quan- 
tity of nests, and the floor covered with fine sand to 
the depth of three or more inches. In this room 
are placed twenty or more male birds, and three 
times their number of females ; and from this large 
feminine family every male chooses his mate, — and, 
reader, don't blush, for some of them choose even 
three and four mates, — all of which will hatch their 
young peacefully, and live one large, happy family 
together. 

The young birds (males) are taken at the age of 
six weeks, as they can then crack seed (and we will 
here remark, that, when they are fully feathered, they 
commence to warble ; that is, they fill their throats 
in the same manner as an old singing-bird : and this 
is the only way that male birds can be told from 
females when so very young), and placed in large 
cages, say twenty-five birds to a cage, and kept in 
rooms holding about twenty such cages until they 
are through moulting ; for a young bird, as soon as 
he is in full feather, commences to moult, or shed 
his body-feathers : his tail and wing feathers he 
sheds the second season. This moulting process 
requires about six weeks ; after which they are taken 
away from the sound of all singing canaries, into a 



BEAUTIFUL BELL-NOTE, ETC. 23 

room having a small opening in the top ; and in the 
room above them is kept a nightingale, skylark, or 
some other fine whistling bird, the best of his spe- 
cies, who acts as instructor for the young birds. It 
is from this instructor they get these beautiful notes, 
the bow-trill, the bell-note, the flute, the water-note, 
&c., which are so much admired. At the age of six 
months they become adepts at singing ; and then 
the exportation to all parts of the civilized world 
commences. 

Americans raise Birds wholly for pleasure ; and 
it certainly is a pleasure. What greater amusement 
can be furnished children, and, in fact, children of a 
larger growth, than mating birds, and then rearing 
a nest of beautiful canaries ? — to watch the busy 
weavers make their nest ; the constant care and 
attention given to it by the mother-bird during the 
season of " sitting," who is so regularly relieved by 
her loving mate, who ever and anon covers the eggs 
while she is seeking food or rest ? Alas ! our little 
canary-bird has taught many a lesson to the human 
family ; and the constancy of a bird to its mate is 
rarely equalled by the lords of creation. 

A suitable Cage for breeding can be either of 
wood, wired, or the ordinary japanned tin cage, or 
brass. Should you use an ^/^ wooden cage, it should 
be thoroughly scalded with hot soda-water, to kill all 
vermin, and then varnished over. The birds should 
have a nest — wire is the best — securely fastened 
into one corner of the cage, first covering the nest 
with canton, or cotton-and-wool flannel, and hung 



24 MATING SEASON. 

up against the wall at least a foot above your head, 
and in a southern aspect if possible, and not moved 
until you are through breeding for the season. 

There should always be placed in the cage, from 
a wall of some very old Imi/difig that is being torn 
down, a piece of mortar to make egg-shells from ; as, 
without this, the female would lay soft-shell eggs. 

In vain did the oldest of our English poets pro- 
claim his mandate in our ears, saying, — 

" Foules take heed of my sentence, I pray, 

And for your own ease in fordring of your need, 
As fast as I may speak, I v/ill me speed : 

Ye know well how, on St. Valentine's Day, 
By my statute, and through my governaunce, 

Ye do chuse your mates, and after fiie away 
With him, as I move you with plesaunce." 

From the 14th of February to the middle of May, 
all birds have what is known as the 

Mating Fever. — This fever, or sexual desire, is 
the strongest during the latter part of April, and 
early in May ; and, if not mated, they sit moping 
with ruffled feathers, cease singing entirely, refuse 
their food, and often, in their silent sorrow, pine 
away and die. If their attention can be diverted 
from this " lovesickness," it should always be done. 
The better cure is to mate your bird. If this is incon- 
venient, place him in the cheerful sunlight, tempt 
him with dainty morsels of food, talk and whistle to 
him ; and, if you have a friend who owns a bird, let 
your bird visit him, and cheerful company will soon 
restore him ; or a better way still is to leave him at 
a well kept bird-store. 



HOW TO MATE BIRDS. 25 

A question often asked at bird-stores is,- 

" How DO YOU MATE A PaIR OF BiRDS ? " The 

reader is supposed to own a male canary. If such 
supposition be true, then go to a first-class bird-store, 
and buy a female canary and breeding-cage ; and 
the very best way to mate a pair of birds is to place 
the female in the breeding-cage, and hang it up on 
one side of the room ; and, leaving the male bird in 
his cage^ hang him up on the other side, and within 
sight of her. If he sings and calls to her, and she 
calls back in return, as much as to say, " May I 
come in your cage } " then you can put them 
together; and, though they may quarrel at first, this 
will be only of short duration, and they will very 
soon mate. 

" The tuneful choir in amorous strains 
Accost their feathered loves ; 
While each fond mate, with equal pains, 
The tender suit approves." 

In mating Birds, a young male and old female 
produce mostly male birds ; and those of about the 
same age produce about equal proportions of both 
males and females. 

A female Canary will mate with the following 
birds, and produce a very beautiful songster, which 
is known as a mule : the linnet, goldfinch, bulfinch, 
siskin, our native bobolink, indigo-bird, and other 
birds of a similar size ; and the male from these 
birds is very highly prized on account of his beauty 
and song. 

A hybrid variety is mentioned in a German work 



26 HOW TO RAISE HANDSOME BIRDS. 

as being a cross between a female bulfinch and a 
male canary ; in form and plumage it somewhat 
resembles both parents, and is a delightful songster, 
not so loud as the canary, but with notes more soft 
and mellow. This is a very rare bird, it being diffi- 
cult to breed and rear such. 

To PRODUCE A HANDSOME YELLOW BiRD, your male 
should be a jonquil, which is a deep yellow bird with 
almost an orange crown ; and the female a mealy 
bird, which is a whitish yellow, and has the appear- 
ance of being frosted or powdered all over. A clear 
yellow male and a mealy female will usually produce 
2, pure yellow bird ; while a clear yellow male mated 
with a gray or green female will usually produce a 
very handsome mottled bird. A deep yellow or 
orange-colored male with a very dark-green female 
often produces the highly prized cinnamon bird. 

After mating your birds, a period of only seven to 
eight days elapses before the female commences 
to lay ; and she will lay from four to seven eggs, 
one each day, at about the same hour, and sit upon 
them for thirteen days, when the operation of 
hatching commences. 

Dealers in birds are constantly visited by owners 
of feathered pets to seek information on a subject 
to which their human instinct should furnish the 
answer. This is particularly the case in breeding- 
season ; and a question asked daily is, — 

" My Bird is egg-bound : what shall I do for it ? " 
A few questions from the dealer reveals the fact that 
the female has been fed upon dry seed, and food of 



HOW BIRDS ARE HATCHED. 2'J 

a clogging nature ; and the information given at 
once is, Feed your bird some green stuff or a piece 
of apple, thereby loosening it (which should have 
been done before mating), and, carefully taking the 
bird out, rub the passage gently with warm sweet-oil. 
At times birds are egg-bound from having taken 
cold : should this be the case, give also the reme- 
dies for a cold. 

Birds are hatched one each Day, until all the 
eggs are hatched. If it should happen that one or 
more eggs remain in the nest, and do not hatch at 
the proper time, it would be well to take them out of 
the nest carefully, using for this purpose a tea-spoon 
so as not to handle them, and hold them before a 
strong light ; and, if there is the appearance of 
blood-veins, place them back carefully ; for they may 
yet be hatched. If, upon the other hand, the ^gg be 
clear and transparent, it can be thrown away as 
worthless. It is a rule in Europe to never throw 
away an egg until it has been laid at least twenty- 
one days. 

From the time the young birds are born, the male 
bird helps feed them, if he is a good father, and so 
partially relieves the female. If he should at times 
seem quarrelsome with his mate, or show too 7Jiuch 
attention of a loving kind to her, it would be well to 
separate them, putting him in his own cage until the 
young birds are nearly feathered ; then, after they 
have perched a few nights, they can be removed to 
other cages, and the male returned, and another 
brood raised ; and the same operation repeated. 



28 BIRDS EAT THEIR EGGS. 

Cases have been known of raising seven broods in 
a season. 

" With cheerful hop from perch to spray, 
They sport along the meads; 
In social bliss together stray 
Where love or fancy leads. 

Through spring's gay scenes each happy pair 

Their fluttering joys pursue ; 
Its various charms and produce share, 

Forever kind and true." 

Those who raise birds are often annoyed by the 
male, and sometimes by the female bird 

Eating the Eggs as soon as they are laid : this 
usually occurs from improper feeding. Birds that 
are mated require rich food ; and this rich food 
should be given for three to four weeks previous to 
mating them. When this is done, it is very rare 
that the eggs are disturbed. 

The richest and best food for your birds, in addi- 
tion to their regular mixed seed, — no hemp, — should 
be the following: one hard-boiled ^gg — the whole 
^gg — grated on a coarse horse-radish grater, and 
one common soft cracker, rolled fine with a rolling- 
pin, or carefully grated, and then mixed together, 
and fed to the birds in small quantities at least 
twice per day ; and this food must be continued to 
the old birds until you are through breeding ; and 
the same food must be continued to the 

Young Birds until they can crack seed, which 
they can do with ease at the age of six weeks. It 
is, however, an advantage to soak some rape-seed, 



BIRDS LEFT TO STARVE. 29 

and put it in for the young birds as soon as they 
leave the nest. 

Another source of great annoyance to bird-breed- 
ers is, that occasionally the old birds desert the 
young, and leave them to starve. This I never knew 
to occur where birds were placed in a suitable place, 
as described on p. 23, and always fed and cared 
for by the same person. It is the constant annoy- 
ance to which a bird is subjected that occasions 
this. It is usually the fault of those who have had 
this ill luck. They take great pride in the birds 
they are prospectively going to raise ; and, as soon 
as they are from the egg, the cage is taken down on 
all occasions, and shown to every visitor ; and, when 
it is too much trouble to take it down, the step- 
ladder, a chair, or table is brought into action in 
order to show up the bird family ; and then the 
bird-dealers are asked the question, "Why did my 
old bird desert the young before they were a week 
old } " Those who have had this ill luck doubtless 
see wherein success in the future awaits them. 

Occasionally there is no apparent cause for the 
old birds deserting the young. When such proves 
to be the case, and the old birds are very good ones, 
it is always well to bring the young up by hand, using 
the food described above, and using a quill with a 
small piece cut from one side, similar to the old- 
fashioned quill-pen. It can then be used as a spoon ; 
and, with three or four such spoonfuls, feed them 
every hour ; and not feed of tener than once an hour, 
using judgment in not over-feeding the birds. It is 



30 DOES A YOUNG BIRD MOULT? 

always a good rule to take the nest from the cage, 
and keep the young birds in it, covering them over 
slightly until they are well feathered. 

We are often asked the question, — 

"Does a Young Bird moult?" — Our answer 
is, Yes. A young bird is usually in full feather 
at the age of six weeks (we will here state, that, 
when he is four weeks old, he will swell up his 
throat, and try to warble ; and by this you can tell 
the males from the females) ; and, when he is in full 
feather, he commences to moult, or shed his body- 
feathers. The wing and tail feathers he does not 
shed until the second season : this process is slow in 
a young bird, and usually requires about eight 
weeks to change all the body-feathers ; during all of 
which time they should be fed, at least twice a week, 
on the hard-boiled &gg and cracker, as described 
above, and kept out of all draughts of air. If your 
bird — the father of the young — is a good singer, 
the young birds will learn readily, and, at the age of 
six months, become fine songsters. 
' The Longbreed, or French Canary, has had 
his day, and is now "run out." His high, square 
shoulders give him an ungainly appearance ; and his 
great length and delicate frame make him a very 
weak bird, and not well adapted for the parlor ; 
while in powers of song he is far inferior to the 
short, or German Canary, so generally admired the 
world over for his exquisite notes. 



BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 31 



" Birds, birds ! ye are beautiful things, 

With your earth-treading feet, and your cloud-cleaving wings. 

Where shall man wander, and where shall he dwell, 

Beautiful birds, that ye come not as well ? 

Ye have nests on the mountain all rugged and stark. 

Ye have nests in the forest all tangled and dark ; 

Ye build and ye brood 'neath the cottager's eaves. 

And ye sleep on the sod 'mid the bonnie green leaves ; 

Ye hide in the heather, ye lurk in the brake. 

Ye dive in the sweet-flags that shadow the lake ; 

Ye skim where the stream parts the orchard-decked land, 

Ye dance where the foam sweeps the desolate strand. 

Beautiful birds ! ye come thickly around 

When the bud's on the branch, and the snow's on the ground ; 

Ye come when the richest of roses flush out. 

And ye come when the yellow leaf eddies about. 

Beautiful birds ! how the schoolboy remembers 

The warblers that chorussed his holiday tune, — 

The robin that chirped in the frosty December, 

The blackbird that whistled through flower-crowned June. 

That schoolboy remembers his holiday ramble. 

When he pulled every blossom of palm he could see ; 

When his finger was raised as he stopped in the bramble, 

With * Hark ! there's the cuckoo : how close he must be ! ' " 




THE GOLDFINCH. 

" Oh ! what is so pretty, so cunning, so gay, 
So daintily busy the livelong day, 
As my little goldfinch, — beautiful pet, — 
With his butterfly wings, and cap of jet ? 



Far, far, from his native bowers of bloom, 
He lives a prisoner, yet feels no gloom ; 
For his merry glance and his sprightly song 
Tell plainly as words that he fears no wrong." 



THE GOLDFINCH. 33 

The Goldfinch, of all parlor birds, is certainly 
one of the most delightful, alike for the beauty of 
his plumage, the excellence of his song, his proved 
docility, and remarkable cleverness. He is also very 
easily tamed, and is capable of great attachment to 
his owner ; and may be taught various amusing 
tricks, such as dragging a little wagon up an inclined 
plane into his cage to supply himself with food, or 
to ring a bell whenever he requires attention, and to 
haul up water from a little well underneath the cage. 
All these he will learn very readily, and without 
any coercion. 

Goldfinches have been known to live confined in 
a cage for sixteen or twenty years ; and, though 
they may lose their bright colors, they retain their 
activity and cheerfulness of disposition. Their food, 
in their wild state, consists of all kinds of seeds, 
&c. : in a cage, they should be fed upon maw-seed. 
As their bill, though as sharp as a needle, is in young 
birds quite soft, and, although very fond of rape 
and canary seed, they cannot readily crack it until 
they are at least two years old, it would always be 
well to soak a little canary and rape for them, thereby 
softening the hull, and making it a matter of no 
trouble for them to crack ; and occasionally, as a 
reward for some trick, or display of affection, a few 
crushed hemp-seed, which he should be made to 
take from the hand. Most wild birds, when cap- 
tured, become in confinement sullen and dispirited : 
want of exercise and of a peculiar kind of food so 
alters the quality of the fluids, that fits and ailments 
3 



34 GOLDFINCH DISEASES. 

ensue ; and the bird mopes, and soon dies. Not so 
with the goldfinch : immediately after his capture he 
commences to feed on maw-seed (food which he 
could never have tasted before), frisk about the 
cage, and dress his plumage, without manifesting 
the least apparent regret for the loss of companions 
or liberty. His beauty, melody, and speedy recon- 
ciliation to confinement, render him a desirable 
companion ; and he is captured to cheer us with his 
manners and voice in airs and regions very different 
from his native thistly downs and apple-blossom 
bowers. 

Goldfinch has Diseases. — They are subject to 
epilepsy ; and sometimes, when closely confined, 
have swollen eyes. By anointing the eye with fresh 
butter, the ailment will be removed. They are greedy 
eaters, and are sometimes apt to overdo the matter. 
A cold bath will soon put them to rights. 

Goldfinch Mules. — The goldfinch will mate 
with the canary ; and the mule-birds produced are 
frequently very beautiful, and also good singers. 
The mixture, so to speak, of the song of the two 
birds, is particularly sweet, fine, and pleasant to 
the ear. In breeding mule-birds, it is true that it 
requires some patience, and also good judgment, for 
the successful rearing of choice mules ; but, when a 
satisfactory result is obtained, it is well worth the 
pains. 

As an occasional experiment, the attempt to obtain 
birds of this kind will have its charms and attrac- 
tions for many ; but for ourselves we confess we care 
little for mules in any shape or form. 



MULE-RAISING. 35 

A wise Providence has set the mark of sterility on 
all such heterogenous offspring ; and while it has thus 
said, as though in displeasure at the attempt to 
transgress its laws, "Hitherto shalt thou go, and 
no farther," — on the other hand, we read on the first 
page of Holy Writ how, when God commanded the 
water to bring forth abundantly every living creature 
that moveth, and every winged fowl, each was to be 
" after his kind." In this way alone he bestowed 
his blessing upon them, and commanded them thus 
to replenish the earth. "What God hath joined 
together let no man put asunder ; " and what he 
hath put asunder let no man attempt to bring 
together. 



" God spake : the waters teem with life, 
The tenants of the floods ; 
The many-colored winged birds 
Dart quickly through the woods. 
High rushes the eagle 

On fiery wings ; 
Low hid in the valley, 
^ The nightingale sings. 



"God spake : the lion, bull, and horse 
Spring from the moistened clay ; 
While round the breast of Mother Earth 
Bees hum, and lambkins play. 
They give life to the mountain, 

They swarm on the plain, 
But their eyes fixed on earth 
Must forever remain. 



36 THE CHORUS OF HEAVEN. 

" God spake : he looked on earth and heaven 
With mild and gracious eye ; 
In his own image man he made, 
And gave him dignity. 
He springs from the dust, 
The lord of the earth : 
The chorus of heaven 
Exult at his birth. 
And now creation's work was ended ; 

Man raised his head, he spoke ; 

The day of rest by God ordained — 

The sabbath morning — broke." 





THE LINNET. 

I wadna gie the liittie's sang, 

Sae merry on the bonnie lea, 
For all the harps that ever rang 

In all the halls of minstrelsie. 
Mair dear to me, where bush or breer 

Amang the pathless heather grows, 

The lintie's wild sweet note to hear. 

As on the ev'nin' breeze it flows. 

Burns. 

The Linnet, either gray or brown, is a beautiful 
songster, and is very generally kept throughout Eu- 
rope. He is of a hardy constitution, easily domesti- 
cated, a most lovely and constant singer, uttering 
many very sweet, flute-like notes ; and if fed princi- 
pally on canary and rape seed, with occasionally a 
very few hemp-seed, will remain in health. 

These two birds are spoken of as two distinct 
varieties, but in reality they are not ; for the same 
bird which at one year old, when it has no red feath- 
ers in the head, is a gray lm?ief, becomes after the 
second moulting, when the red of the breast takes a 
golden hue from the yellowish-white margins of the 

37 



38 THE LINNET. 

feathers, a yellow linnet ; and in the spring of 
the third year, when the forehead is blood red, the 
feathers on the side of the breast the same color, 
and a f e^^ruginous tinge prevails over the whole body, 
the bird comes out in all his glory as a rose liimet. 
By and by, when age steals on, or sickness or con- 
finement tell upon the constitution of the sweet 
songster, he falls from his high estate ; his plumage 
changes, and he is a brown, gray, or yellow linnet, 
as the case may be. There is scarcely any bird, per- 
haps, that puts on so many different dresses in the 
course of his life as our little linnet ; there is 
scarcely any telling what changes each moult will 
produce : that is, in a state of confinement ; for in 
a natural state the bird will go through its regular 
gradations of plumage in a natural manner, and one 
may safely judge of his age by his dress ; but in an 
artificial state it is not so. 

He is fond of bathing, and we might say of two 
kinds : first, like the skylark, in plenty of gravel (of 
which there must be an abundance in the cage) ; 
and, second, in water, and a bathing-dish must be 
given daily. His diseases are similar to all seed- 
eating birds in confinement ; and the treatment 
must be the same, for which see article on Sick 
Birds. 

Linnet Mules. — The male linnet will some- 
times mate with the canary ; but the mules are not 
nearly so beautiful as the offspring of the goldfinch 
and canary, though they are generally good song- 
sters, and highly prized on that account. 




THE SISKIN. 



The Siskin, sometimes called the black-headed 
thistlefinch, in point of beauty will bear no com- 
parison with the goldfinch, although possessing 
this recommendation in a high degree. The prevail- 
ing color of plumage is a yellowish green, elegantly 
marked and shaded with black ; a neat little bird, 
with a short tail, and stout beak ; the top of the head 
is altogether black, hence one of its names. 

This, as well as the goldfinch and linnet, is one of 
the species used in crossing with the canary. In 
Europe a favorite cage-bird, and really a beautifully 
plumaged one. Their song is short and low, though 
very agreeable, and they imitate with facility the 
notes of various birds. Caged, they should be fed 
on maw-seed mixed with crushed hemp. As they 
are a greedy bird, care must be taken not to feed 
them too much. In health or sickness their treat- 
ment, except feeding, should be the same as the 
canary. 

39 




THE CHAFFINCH. 

" The low, sweet singing of a bird, 
The murmur of the breeze, — 
How soft would glide our fleeting hours, 
Blest as the sunshine and the flowers, 
And calm as summer seas ! " 



Amelia. 



The Chaffinch. — Who that has ever read the 
letter of Michelet to his good wife, in his work en- 
titled "The Bird," could have failed to read his 
vivid description of a poor blind chaffinch that was 
offered for sale in the great bird auction rooms in 
Paris ? This bird had been a pet ; and poverty in 
the family had compelled his sale. This bird is one 

of the many European song-birds, and for the sweet- 
40 



SONG OF CHAFFINCH. 4I 

ness of his song, as well as for his sleek plumage, 
should be generally kept. 

In Germany chaffinches are so highly valued that 
very high prices are given for them if they possess 
a fine song ; a common workman will give sixteen 
shillings for a bird whose notes he considers good, 
and will frequently live upon bread and water until 
he can save money to purchase the desired ob- 
ject. 

His wild notes are soft and mellow, but have 
little variety : they are first heard very early in the 
year; for Chaffy seems at all times ambitious to open 
the vernal chorus, and to make a start before any 
other of the feathered musicians have got their in- 
struments in order. A curious circumstance con- 
nected with the natural history of chaffinches is, 
that the males and females separate during the 
winter, and resort to different parts of the country : 
hence the scientific name ccelebs, or the bachelor, ap- 
plied to this bird. In Europe they have singing 
matches amongst their birds, and the chaffinch that 
sings the greatest number of perfect notes within a 
given time gains the prize for his owner. A perfect 
note is represented by the syllables toll-loll-loll-chick- 
wee-do ; and if a bird slurs them over, or stops at 
chick or 7vee, the note is not counted. 

They are extremely docile, and can be trained, or 
taught to perform many amusing tricks. Their food 
should be the same as the canary ; adding, however, 
in the spring, a few hemp-seed to induce them to 
sing more freely. 



42 THE BIRDS OF KILLINGWORTH. 



" The ballad-singers and the troubadours, 

The street-musicians of the heavenly city, — 
The birds, who make sweet music for us all 
In our dark hours, as David did for Saul, 

The thrush that carols at the dawn of day 
From the green steeples of the piny wood ; 

The oriole in the elm ; the noisy jay, 
Jargoning like a foreigner at his food ; 

The bluebird balanced on some topmost spray. 
Flooding with melody the neighborhood ; 

Linnet and meadow-lark, and all the throng 

That dwell in nests, and have the, gift of song. 

Whose household words are songs in many keys, 

Sweeter than instrument of man e'er caught. 
Whose habitations in the tree-tops even 
Are half-way houses on the road to heaven. 

Think, every morning when the sun peeps through 
The dim, leaf-latticed windows of the grove. 

How jubilant the happy birds renew 

Their old, melodious madrigals of love ! " 

Longfellow. 





THE BULFINCH. 

BuLFiNCH. — This bird has no natural song, but is 
gifted with the ability of imitating, with an astonish- 
ing accuracy, in a sweet and flutelike tone, almost 
any air that is whistled, or played to them on an 
instrument. This has made him a great favorite 
among all lovers of birds. 

In Germany, particularly in Hesse and Saxony, a 
large number of these birds are taught, and by the 
dealers brought to various parts of the world. The 
raising and teaching is generally accomplished by 
shoemakers, tailors, and weavers, who, being con- 
fined to their rooms, are thus enabled to take care of 
them. The teaching begins from the time they are 
taken into the house. The tune that it is intended 
they should learn is whistled to them — whistling is 
always preferred, as instruments are generally too 
shrill — several times a day, more particularly in 
the morning and evening. The tune must be whis- 
tled always in the same key, and no other tune 
whistled in the hearing of the bird, which is kept 

43 



44 THE BULFINCH. 

in rather a dark place during the process of train- 
ing. 

Taken as they are when quite young, and brought 
up by hand; they are always tame, and will take food 
from the hand of any one, and may be trained to 
sing or pipe their tune at command : they very soon 
learn to know the person who feeds them, — and 
we will here remark that the same person should 
always feed them, — and will pipe their tune, making 
beautiful and elegant gestures, now moving the 
body, and then the head, first to the right, then to 
the left, spreading the tail like a fan, and seem- 
ingly " fanning " with it, when they commence with 
a short flourish, or prelude, and pipe their tune 
through perfectly. 

The bulfinch should be fed principally on sum- 
mer rape-seed, to which may be added a little 
canary, and occasionally one or two hemp-seed, as 
a reward for piping his tune. Sugar, sweet-cakes, 
or such-like delicacies, spoil their taste, and should 
not be given to them. A little greens in the sum- 
mer, or sweet apple in the winter, is very whole- 
some, both of which must be fresh. As their claws 
grow very fast, and also very hooking, they must be 
cut at least twice a year. They must always be 
handled very gently, as they are easily frightened, 
and harsh treatment often causes their death. 

These birds usually moult in the month of Sep- 
tember ; and, as they shed their feathers very rap- 
idly, — sometimes becoming almost bare in one day, 
— great care must be taken to keep them from all 



THE BULFINCH. 45 

draughts of air; and, in addition to their regular 
seed, a little of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg 
should be fed them at least three times a week. 

The bulfinch has diseases. These, however, are 
usually caused by improper care ; for if the bird 
be fed and watered regularly every day, at the 
same hour and dy the same perso?i^ and plenty of 
dry sand freely used, the cause of disease is greatly 
reduced. Occasionally these birds are troubled 
with a diarrhoea, and can be greatly relieved, and 
many times a permanent cure effected, by placing 
a rusty nail in their drinking-water : a nail should 
also be placed in their drinking-water during moult- 
ing season ; and, should a bird be troubled with the 
reverse of this complaint, — costiveness, — a piece 
of sweet apple, a little chickweed, lettuce, or any 
green food, will usually afford full relief. Occa- 
sionally this bird will appear dumpish, sitting all 
day upon his perch with ruffled feathers : the best 
mode of treatment is to give him a supply of maw, or 
what is sometimes called poppy-seed, which will in 
most cases quickly restore him to his usual spirits. 




THE NIGHTINGALE. 

" Night from her ebon throne stoops down to listen 
To this the sweetest songster of the grove ; 
And pulses thrill, and eyes with rapture glisten, 
As forth she pours her plaintive song of love." 



This bird is decidedly the most melodious of all 
singing-birds. The compass, flexibility, prodigious 
variety, and harmony of his voice, make him the 
46 



THE NIGHTINGALE. 47 

greatest favorite of tlie lovers of the beauty of na- 
ture. Coleridge wrote thus of this bird : — 

" The merry nightingale, 
That crowds and hurries and precipitates, 
With fast, thick warble, his delicious notes, 
As if he were fearful that an April night 
Would be too short for him to utter forth 
His love-chant, and disburden his full soul 
Of all its music." 

He will sometimes dwell for several seconds on a 
strain composed of only two or three melancholy 
tones, beginning in an under-voice, and swelling it 
gradually by a most superb crescendo to the highest 
point of strength, then ending it by a dying cadence. 
His very striking musical talent, surpassing all other 
singing-birds, has acquired for him the name of the 
kinc of sono^sters. His food is the same as the 
American mocking-bird. 

When caged and well treated, they will sing for 
six or eight months during the year : some begin in 
December, some in January, and some in February, 
and sing till the month of July. 

Improper feeding, and other causes, have seemed, 
so far, to render it almost an impossibility to keep 
one of these birds more than a few months ; and, 
for the benefit of the lovers of this bird, we will give 
an extract from a letter from Mr. George B. Pear- 
son of Beverly, Mass. He says, — 

^' As I write you, four p.m., Jan. 7, 1875, my night- 
ingale is singing sweetly. He commenced singing 



48 THE NIGHTINGALE. 

early in December, 1873 ; and he did not cease to 
sing until September, 1874. He moults with no 
trouble at all, and since I have owned him has not 
had a sick hour. Your books will show you that I 
purchased him in the winter of 1872 ; and you did 
not advise me to buy him, but to * wait for a better 
bird later in the season.' 

" I cannot agree with high authorities, that the 
nightingale is a difficult bird to keep in the cage, 
if you know how to take care of him. With the 
very best of intentions, most persons starve their 
nightingales. The bird is an enormous eater. Less 
than half the size of a mocking-bird, he will eat 
double the quantity of food that the mocking-bird 
will eat ; and he requires it. But he is a very pa- 
tient bird, and will not, as will both the mocking- 
bird and black-cap, tell you by restless motion or 
call that he needs food. You may never fear to 
give a nightingale as much food as he will eat. 

" His daily bread and butter should be the pre- 
pared mocking-bird's food. Vary this food with 
grated carrot and ants' eggs, hard-boiled egg and 
ants' eggs, yellow turnip and ants' eggs, elderber- 
ries and ants' eggs (all of these half and half each), 
and ants' eggs moistened with water, alone by them- 
selves, and you have a bill of fare that will give you 
delicious song. 

" Can you obtain meal-worms, give your bird as 
many as you can afford to give him. He will sing all 
the better for every worm eaten. He is not a deli- 
cate bird, as, for example, the mocking-bird, if you 



THE NIGHTINGALE. 49 

feed him on the right food. He is the king of song- 
sters, and he has the king of digestive organs. My 
bird sings from sunrise to sunset, and never a note 
at any other hour. When silent, a meal-worm will 
make him sing during the above-named hours. He 
will sing very loud till he silences my mocking- 
bird, and so loud that his song is disagreeable ; but 
when he has silenced my other birds, thirteen in 
number, he will delight you for hours. 

" I have always been very particular to keep his 
cage, perches, and feeding-dish very clean ; have 
used gravel (sand) in the cage freely, and given him 
his bath daily ; and I see no reason why, if the same 
rule is followed, that any bird cannot be kept in 
health and song for many years." 
4 





THE BLACK-CAP. 

" Sweet warblers of the sunny hours, 

Forever on the wing, 
I love them ag I love the flowers, 

The sunlight, and the spring. 
They come*like pleasant memories 

In summer's joyous time. 
And sing their gushing melodies 

As I would sing a rhyme. 

In the green and quiet places. 

Where the golden sunlight falls, 
We sit with smiling faces 

To list their silver calls. 
And, when their holy anthems 

Come pealing through the air, 
Our hearts leap forth to meet them 

With a blessing and a prayer. 

Amid the morning's fragrant dew, 

Amid the mists of even. 
They warble on as if they drew 

Their music down from heaven. 
How sweetly sounds each mellow note 

Beneath the moon's pale ray. 
When dying zephyrs rise and float 

Like lovers' sighs away ! " 



50 



THE BLACK-CAP. 5 1 

The Black-Cap, sometimes called the mock 
nightingale, possesses, in the opinion of some^ 
powers of song equal to those of the more univer- 
sally acknowledged leader of the sylvan choir. He 
is a most delightful singer ; and his notes, though 
quite different, are no less admirable than the 
nightingale's, and are heard throughout the year, 
during the whole day, except in the moulting 
season. This may also be called the English 
mocking-bird, as he readily catches the notes of any 
other songster which he chances to hear. Sweet 
says that he has heard the black-cap imitate the 
nightingale so exactly that even his practised ear 
was deceived. 

If you love real bird-music, procure a black-cap at 
any cost ; for he will make the whole house ring 
again, his song is so full, so sweet, so deep and loud, 
and so enriched with a variety of oily, silvery mod- 
ulations, especially that long, soft shake, which, 
though it sinks gradually into the lowest note a bird 
can utter, is heard as distinctly as the louder tones ; 
and then just as you think it is about to die away, 
and you begin to anticipate the silence that must 
follow, higher and higher swells the song to the lofti- 
est burst of melody, and you feel as if you wouldn't 
part with the bird for twenty times his weight in gold. 
When singing he distends his little throat, while the 
whole body quivers with delight, telling that he feels 
as much pleasure as he gives to the listener. Gil- 
bert White, whose " Natural History of Selborne " 
•every boy ought to read for the sake of its beautiful 



52 THE BLACK-CAP. 

descriptions of the habits of birds and animals, 
speaking of the black-cap, says his " note has such 
a wild sweetness that it always brings to my mind 
those lines in a song in Shakspeare's *As You 
Like It : ' — 

' And tune his merry note 
Unto the sweet bird's throat.' " 

And I have no doubt in my own mind that Shak- 
speare was listening to the singing of the black-cap, 
or called to memory his notes, as he had often heard 
them when a boy in the green fields that spread 
around his native place, when he composed that 
beautiful and simple song which begins with, — 

" Under the greenwood tree, 
Who loves to lie with me." 

The back and wings c^ the black-cap are of an 
olive gray, throat and breast of a silvery gray, belly 
and vent white, sides of the head and back of the 
neck ash color, and the top of head black as night, 
whence the name. Caged, he requires the same 
food as all soft-bill birds, with the addition of 
elderberries, of which he is very fond. The black- 
cap, and most of the genus, suffer from tender feet, 
and swellings or warts upon them : a little cold 
cream will soon cure these. 




TO A SKY-LARK. 



Ethereal minstrel ! pilgrim of the sky ! 
Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound ? 
Or, while the wings aspire, are heart and eye 
Both with thy nest upon the dewy ground ? — 
Thy nest, which thou canst drop into at will, 
Those quivering wings composed, that music still. 

Leave to the nightingale her shady wood : 

A privacy of glorious light is thine ; 

Whence thou dost pour upon the world a flood 

Of harmony, with instinct more divine. 

Type of the wise who soar, but never roam. 

True to the kindred points of heaven and home. 

Wordsworth. 



54 THE SKY-LARK. 

This beautiful warbler is spread all over Europe, 
and has the most peculiar manner of flying of any 
of the feathered tribe, his movement being invaria- 
bly upwards in a perpendicular line ; after leaving 
his grassy abode, beginning his melodious song, 
which he continues unceasingly till nearly out of 
sight, looking like a mere speck, towards the heav- 
ens, — and even then you may hear his sweet voice 
dying away as if in the clouds, — he descends in like 
manner, still continuing to gratify his hearers below 
with his own peculiar melody till within a short dis- 
tance from his nest ; then silently alighting, hiding 
himself in the grass, fearing, as if by instinct, some 
straggling wanderers were watching his movements, 
to find out the spot to "rob a bird's-nest," when he 
creeps along, quite unseen, to visit his home and 
little family. He is the bird that Shakspeare fancied 
went singing up into the very gates of heaven ; the 
minstrel of the sky, who makes all the gold and sil- 
ver pillars in cloud-land echo when he warbles in 
his great star-roofed skyey hall. This is the bird 
that sleeps beside the daisies, and among the gentle 
lambs : that makes a nest in any hole in the ground, 
the print of a horse's or bullock's hoof serving as 
well as any thing else in which to deposit the five 
greenish-white brown spotted eggs. The sky-lark 
will readily imitate the songs of other birds, and 
also learn tunes, and in confinement sings during 
half the year, and may be tamed so as to come and 
eat from the hand. 




THE WOOD-LARK. 



" What time the timorous hare trips forth to feed, 
When the scared owl skims round the grassy mead, 
Then high in air, and poised upon his wings, 
Unseen the soft enamoured wood-lark sings." 

The Wood-lark is also a beautiful bird, and 
resembles the sky-lark in color, but is smaller. If 
he cannot soar so high nor sing so sweetly as the 
sky-lark, he can do what the latter can't; and that is, 
either sit and smg on the branch of a tree, or have 
a fly, and carry his music along with him. But, 
though so partial to perching on a branch, like the 
sky-lark he builds on the ground. Some bird-fan- 
ciers say he possesses a more musical and sonorous 

55 



56 THE WOOD-LARK. 

note than most other singing-birds ; but his imitative 
faculties are not very good, for, unless reared from 
the nest near some other birds, he will not learn their 
strains. His song is very much prized, and ranked 
by many amateurs next to the nightingale's : he sings 
far into the night. This bird is more easily tamed 
than the sky-lark, and appears more happy in captiv- 
ity. He is of an affectionate disposition, and, if 
pains are taken to gain his affection, will become 
much attached to his owner ; but he is a delicate 
bird, and dainty in appetite, and requires variety in 
food. Most of the wood-larks perch, therefore he 
must have a square perch put into his cage ; but, if 
not used, it should be taken away. He must have a 
fresh-cut turf, if possible, once a week, and plenty of 
gravel and chalk. It is very rare that either of 
the larks will take a bath, much preferring — like 
domestic fowls — to dust themselves ; and for this 
reason sand or gravel must be used very freely, and 
always kept in the cage to the depth of not less 
than half an inch. The lark requires what is known 
as the lark-cage, and will not do well in any other. 
It is a low-priced cage, and can always be purchased 
at any bird-store. The food of the sky and wood 
lark is the same as the American mocking-bird. If 
the bird is unwell, or becomes loose, grate a little 
cheese into his food : some licorice in his water will 
also be of service, as likewise a spider occasionally. 




THE THRUSH. 

But when the morning broke, and the green woods 

Were all alive with birds, with what a clear 

And ravishing sweetness sang the plaintive thrush ! 

I love to hear his delicate rich voice, 

Chanting through all the gloomy day, when loud 

Amid the trees is dropping the big rain. 

And gray mists wrap the hills ; for aye the sweeter 

His song is when the day is sad and dark. 

Longfellcw. 



The Song-Thrush is a most melodious singer, 
being gifted with a more powerful tone than any of 
the feathered choristers of the European forest. 
This speckled musician pleases with delight, and 

57 



58 THE THRUSH. 

satisfies, as it were, the very soul of the listener. 
In the wild state he sings only during the spring ; 
but, when caged and properly treated, will sing eight 
or nine months of the year, commencing about 
December or January. It is for this reason, as well 
as for his beautiful song, that the thrush is so much 
kept in cages, and domesticated. 

He must have a large cage, well strewn with 
coarse sand or gravel, and should be well supplied 
with water for drinking and bathing ; but his bath 
should be taken away when used, as the bird is 
liable to cramp. The food and water should be put 
outside of the cage, if possible. The thrush will 
live many years in confinement, if properly fed and 
cared for. The ailment to which he is most subject 
is constipation. A large spider is the best remedy ; 
abundance of pure fresh air, and a change of diet, 
should be given. The male and female are so much 
alike in color, that it is very difficult to distinguish 
them : the female is a little smaller, and has not 
quite such a glossy brown plumage as the male ; so 
that the purchaser of a thrush should make sure of 
the sex by hearing the song. The male has great 
imitative powers, and will readily learn tunes played 
on wind instruments or whistled to him. Food 
same as preceding. 




THE BLACKBIRD. 



" O blackbird ! sing me something well : 

While all the neighbors shoot thee round, 
I keep smooth plats of fruitful ground, 
Where thou may'st warble, eat, and dwell." 

Tennyson. 

The Blackbird, whose plumage is of a pure vel- 
vety black, with an orange-yellow bill, is a fine 
songster. The notes, though not so various as 
those of the thrush, still are of a more sweet, flute- 
like tone. Besides this, he possesses the ability of 
imitating airs which are whistled to him : these he 
executes with great perfection, and is said never to 
forget a tune once learned. An anecdote is told of 

59 



60 THE BLACKBIRD. 

one who had been taught to whistle an air, which, 
on hearing played with variations on the piano, af- 
fronted him so exceedingly that he hissed and flut- 
tered his wings till the performance stopped, and 
then gave his version of the air, whistling it all 
through as he had learned it. The same bird fell 
into the hands of a lady whose custom it was to 
have the Evening Hymn sung at the conclusion of 
family prayers. He caught the tune, and always 
accompanied their voices, and from that time regu- 
larly whistled it every evening at the same hour, 
long after he had passed into another family, and 
continued the practice for the remainder of his life. 
The blackbird will also learn to imitate the songs of 
other birds, the crowing of a cock, the gobble of a 
turkey, and in his wild state will often mimic them. 

He is very fond of bathing, and may have a good 
deep bath daily in the sunshine ; but his cage should 
not be left wet, as he is subject to cramp like the 
thrush : there should be plenty of dry sand or 
gravel on the floor. 

He will live in captivity from twelve to sixteen 
years, and sing in a loud and joyous tone the whole 
year, except during the moulting season. 

When in a wild state, this bird sings only three 
months in the year ; when caged, nearly throughout 
the year. His food and treatment are the same as 
for the mocking-bird. 




ROBIN REDBREAST. 

" Good-by, good-by to summer, 
For summer's nearly done ; 
The garden smiling faintly, 
Cool breezes in the sun ; 
The t-hrushes now are silent, 
Our swallows flown away, 
But Robin's here in coat of brown, 
And scarlet breast-knot gay. 
Robin, Robin Redbreast, 

O Robin dear ! 
Robin sings so sweetly 

In the falling of the year ! " 

The English Robin Redbreast. — This bird 
is very popular in Europe, particularly in England, 
being lively and very handsome. He is easily 
tamed, so as to be let out of his cage, and play 
about- a room. 

He has, by fearless conduct, earned golden opin- 
ions from all classes of men. Every nation seems 

6i 



62 ENGLISH ROBIN. 

to protect him. Even the American redbreast 
lives unharmed, possibly on account of his connec- 
tion with his English relation, whose oft-told charity 
is mentioned in the good old ballad of the " Babes 
in the Wood " whom Robin Redbreast " painfully " 
did bury beneath the leaves : — 

" Leaves of all hues, gold, red, and green, 
Ruins of summer bowers ; 
A thousand times more beautiful 
Than all her choicest flowers." 

In the winter, when the berries are gone, insects 
dead; and the worms hidden under the hard-frozen 
soil, then the robin flies for refuge to the habita- 
tions of man for shelter and food. It is very amus- 
ing to see the half-trusting, half-fearful look with 
which he hops to the window-sill for the first time. 
After a while he becomes bold, and taps at the win- 
dow, if the expected crumbs are not thrown out. 
He possesses a sweet warbling song, is very fond 
of bathing, and should therefore be daily provided 
with a bath ; but, when allowed to fly about a room, 
care must be taken not to leave a pitcher or any 
large vessel with water within reach, as he is very 
apt to try to bathe in it, and frequently gets 
drowned. Being a soft-bill bird, his food is the 
same as the preceding birds. 



THE STARLING. 

The Starling. — His natural song is rather 
poor ; but he has a wonderfully good memory. He 
will learn to repeat several airs that are played to 
him, with great ease ; nay, more : he learns to pro- 
nounce words very distinctly, or imitate the song of 
other birds, or any sounds when repeatedly heard. 
Besides this, he becomes very tame in the house, so 
as to be let out of the cage, and walk about the 
room. He soon knows all the persons in the house, 
is always gay and wakeful, and as docile and cun- 
ning as a dog. His food and treatment may be the 
same as that of the mocking-bird. He is a very 
hardy bird, and will sometimes attain the age of fif- 
teen years. 

63 




THE OLD-WORLD SPARROW. 

BY WILLIAM C. BRYANT. 

We heai" the note of a stranger bird, 
That ne'er till now in our land was heard : 
A winged settler has taken his place 
With Teutons, and men of the Celtic race : 
He has followed their path to our hemisphere, 
The Old- World sparrow at last is here. 

He meets not here, as beyond the main, 
The fowler's snare and the poisoned grain ; 
But snug-built homes on the friendly tree, 
And grubs for his chirping family 
Are strewn when the winter fields are drear ; 
For the Old- World sparrow is welcome here. 
64 



THE OLD-WORLD SPARROW. 65 

The insect legions that sting our fruit, 
And strip the leaves from the growing shoot, — 
A swarming, skulking, ravenous tribe. 
Which Harris and Fitch so well describe, 
But cannot destroy, — may quail with fear ; 
For the Old-World sparrow, their foe, is here. 

The apricot in the summer ray 

May ripen now on the loaded spray ; 

And the nectarine on the garden-walk 

Keep firm its hold on the parent stalk ; 

And the plum its fragrant fruitage rear ; 

For the Old-World sparrow, their friend, is here. 

That pest of gardens — the little Turk 

Who signs with the crescent his wicked work. 

And causes the half-grown fruit to fall — 

Shall be seized and swallowed in spite of all 

His sly devices of cunning and fear ; 

For the Old-World sparrow, his foe, is here. 

And the army-worm and the Hessian fly 
And the dreaded canker-worm shall die ; 
And the thrip and slug and fruit-moth seek 
In vain to escape that busy beak ; 
And fairer harvests shall crown the year ; 
For the Old-World sparrow at last is here. 

The English Sparrow, now so commonly seen 
in all of the parks," and, in fact, streets, of New York, 
Brooklyn, Jersey City, and Hoboken, was first intro- 
duced by the Messrs. Reiche in 1858. The cost of 
the first importation was partly paid by Mr. W. H. 
Scheiffellin, who had a quantity of them set free in 
the garden of his palatial residence in Madison 
Square, New-York City. The quantity of sparrows 
5 



66 THE OLD-WORLD SPARROW. 

now seen around the Fifth-Avenue Hotel are de- 
scendants of this first importation. The remainder 
of the sparrows were given their liberty by Mr. 
Henry Reiche in the Central Park. How they have 
increased and multiplied, we need not inform our 
readers who are in the habit of visiting the metrop- 
olis of America, and how faithfully they have de- 
voured all worms and insects that formerly ruined 
the beautiful trees ; and we might say they have 
been the saving of the fruit-crop the whole length 
of the Hudson River. Gardens which had not a 
currant in them for years, and apple-orchards that 
had ceased to bear, were all in fine bearing order the 
same season the sparrows were introduced. The 
question is often asked, " Do these birds destroy 
seed after planting ? " We answer, No : they are an 
insect-eating bird, and never eat or scratch seed. 
They are consequently the farmer's best friend. 

In reply to a question, " How many broods do 
they raise in a year?" In New York and vicinity 
they raise four broods in a season, and will doubt- 
less do the same in any part of the country ; and 
they never rear less than four to a brood, oftentimes 
six birds. If our farmers and gardeners knew how 
destructive they were to insects, and how crops 
would be increased by their introduction, the subject 
would receive earnest consideration. The sparrows 
now sold are all raised in New York and its vicinity, 
and of course are thoroughly acclimated ; so no 
fears need be entertained of their dying from change 
of climate. 



THE OLD-WORLD SPARROW. 67 

To those who propose introducing this bird, either 
private individuals, or town or city authorities, we 
would suggest the propriety of sending their orders 
during the months of January and February. The 
sparrows ordered at that time will be ready for de- 
livery at a date not later than the 15th of April. At 
this time they begin mating, and are engaged in 
building their nests, and consequently cannot be 
caught and transported to other places without dan- 
ger to them, and loss of life, which, if persisted in, 
would speedily exterminate all the sparrows which 
have cost America immense sums of money. Lovers 
of sparrows who desire introducing them, and have 
neglected ordering during the months of January 
and February, and who do not reside north of Port- 
land, can order at any time in the summer, and re- 
ceive them during the months of October and No- 
vember. The birds sent at this time are hardy, and 
require but little care ; the main point being to sup- 
ply them with soft food, such as stale bread, &c. 
If the snow should remain for a considerable length 
of time, it would be well to sweep a piece of ground, 
thereby enabling them to procure gravel, which is of 
the utmost importance for proper digestion and con- 
sequent health. 





THE GRAY PARROT. 

" Behind us at our evening meal 
The gray bird ate his fill, 
Swung downward by a single claw, 
And wiped his hooked bill. 

He shook his wings and crimson tail, 

And set his head aslant, 
And, in his sharp, impatient way, 

Asked, ' What does Charlie want } ' 
68 



THE GRAY PARROT. 69 

• Fie, silly bird ! ' I answered : * tuck 

Your head beneath your wing, 
And go to sleep ; ' but o'er and o'er 
He asked the selfsame thing. 

Then smiling to myself I said, — 

How like are men and birds ! 
We all are saying what he says, 

In action or in words." 

Wkittier. 

Gray Parrot, which, by its docility and affec- 
tionate conduct towards those who treat it kindly, 
and its wonderful power of imitating the human 
voice, has, with all its awkwardness, a very strong 
hold upon the human family. The very best spe- 
cies of the parrot is the African, which has a fine 
ashen-gray color, with a black bill, white face, and 
scarlet tail. These birds, either male or female, 
make excellent talkers : they can also be taught a 
tune, which they will sing or whistle perfectly ; and 
while they will seemingly forget many words and sen- 
tences which they have once pronounced perfectly, 
yet they never forget a song if it is once thoroughly 
taught them. The next parrot in attractive quali- 
ties is the green, with white over his bill. This 
bird makes an excellent talker, is equally as docile 
as the gray, and attains a great age. Another spe- 
cies very much admired is the yellow-head parrot. 
This, as well as several other varieties, is univer- 
sally kept and admired. The parrot, like all other 
birds, is liable to disease ; but with care it can be 
kept in nearly perfect health. In order to take 



yO THE PARROT. 

proper care of a bird, cleanliness first always ^ 
then place plenty of gravel in the cage, feed at a 
regular and stated time, always feeding the most 
simjDle and plain or coarse food. In its native 
country it feeds upon the seeds of the sunflower and 
the various grains, and with its exercise in its wild 
state does not grow too fleshy. Caged, it must be 
fed vastly different. A good food for parrots is 
cold boiled potatoes, stale bread or crackers soaked 
sometimes in water, sometimes in milk, and some- 
times in coffee, using the coffee just as it is leached 
or boiled, without the addition of milk or sugar. 
Bread soaked in coffee is a delicate morsel, and one 
of which a parrot is very fond. They also like 
canary-seed, unhulled rice, cracked corn, and hemp- 
seed. Of the two latter, very little should be given 
them ; and they should nrotr have fed to them greasy 
food from the table, — sugar, cake, candy, or any 
such trash. A piece of apple or a little green stuff 
occasionally does no harm. Peanuts, forming a part 
of their native food, can always be given them. 
These rules followed, your parrot should be healthy. 
There are but two diseases that alike annoy the 
parrot and its owner ; and a constant inquiry at 
bird-stores is, ''What makes my parrot pull his 
feathers out ? " The reply invariably is, " You feed 
your bird too highly." And we will here remark 
that the parrot, like almost the majority of the 
human family, is afflicted with some kind of a skin 
disease, and the feeding of rich food drives this 
disease to the surface, causing an eruption, and a 



THE PARROT. 



71 



consequent itching sensation, which the parrot re- 
lieves by pulling out its feathers. The only remedy 
for parrots addicted to this habit is to feed them on 
either raw or boiled carrots and well-roasted pea- 
nuts. These are both cooling foods, being entirely 
free from grease of any kind. They also require 
showering with cold water from three to six times 
per day ; and, as they should only be showered with a 
spray of water, it would be well to put a piece of rub- 
ber tube on the end of a faucet, and, holding the fin- 
ger nearly close across the end, cause the water to 
fall in a spray upon the bird. When it is not con- 
venient to thus shower a bird, a mouthful of water 
blown over the bird will answer every purpose. 
Should your parrot be attacked with diarrhoea 
(which, if he is properly cared for, he will not be), 
he should have all green food, fruit, &c., taken 
away, and be fed upon milk which has been boiled 
away, say at least a quarter, and thickened with the 
least 77iite of Graham flour, so called, with the ad- 
dition of a very^ very little red pepper. If this does 
not effect a cure in from one to three days, then 
give him stale bread soaked in warm sherry-wine, 
which has had a very little burnt sugar added 
thereto, — not, however, giving this until the other 
has failed. 

Even these remedies usually efficacious have failed 
at the time when a parrot v/as shedding his feathers ; 
and whole peppers and spices of various kinds are 
given the bird, but without the desired effect. The 
last remedy for this painful disease is laudanum or 



72 THE PARROT. 

pttrogoric. If the latter, five drops in a teaspoon 
of milk, poured down the bird's throat, and the dose 
repeated every half-hour until relief comes, when 
discontinue, and feed a little plain food, and keep 
the bird covered up in a shawl or piece of blanket, 
and in a warm place, until again restored to health. 

If the bird has sore feet, occasioned only by a 
dirty cage, and not using sand freely, first put sand 
into the cage, then wash his feet in lukewarm water, 
first lidding a little tincture of arnica thereto. If 
your parrot is troubled with costiveness, green fruit 
and exercise outside the cage is the best remedy. 
If gouty, which they will show by their feet swell- 
ing, and a partial closing of the claws, immerse the 
feet in quite warm water once or more per day, and 
Boak them for ten or fifteen minutes ; dry thoroughly, 
and in a week or ten days a cure will be effected. 
Sometimes v/ith old cases it takes even longer. If 
your bird is troubled with fits, a sprinkling with cold 
water usually effects a cure. Should you be trou- 
bled with lice on your parrot, you can wash him 
with a strong solution of tobacco, made by steeping 
a little chewing-tobacco in water, or a very little 
flower of sulphur can be sprinkled among the feath- 
ers. 

These comprise about all the ailments of the par- 
rot family ; and the remedies here laid down for their 
treatment also apply to the dwarf parrot, or what are 
more commonly known as paroquets : 'but with care 
(not too much care) you will be relieved of these 
troublesome complaints. 




THE AUSTRALIAN PAROQUET. 



Paroquet is the name generally given to the 
smaller kinds of parrots, from which birds the species 
placed under this head do not otherwise differ than 
in size : the term is somewhat arbitrarily applied, so 
that you will frequently have the same bird called at 
one time a parrot, at another a paroquet, as might 
be expected, there being no exact boundary line to 
divide the larger from the lesser kinds. 

7 . 73 



74 THE AUSTRALIAN PAROQUET. 

The Australian Paroquet, a very beautiful and 
eccentric bird, has but recently been introduced into 
this country ; yet he possesses so many desirable 
qualifications that he has at once become a well- 
known member of the " bird family," This bird is 
a native of the island from whence the name is 
derived ; and in a wild state leads a retired and 
sequestered life, sometimes alone, and again in 
pairs. During mating season they are found in 
pairs, and in immense numbers, the male and female 
each singing to the other incessantly. As they are 
inhabitants of the ground, where they build their 
nests, they are rarely found in trees. Their plumage 
is a beautiful shade of green, with a few brownish or 
black feathers upon the back, and the feathers of 
the head a bright lemon color ; which, added to the 
bright blue spots around the head and neck, make 
them a beautiful and attractive bird. They easily 
become domesticated to cage-life, and are capable 
of being taught many amusing tricks. They are 
hardy birds, and easily endure the cold winters of 
the north, the author once having placed a pair 
where water froze to the depth of an inch, and this, 
too, without any perceptible injury to the birds. 
They should be fed wholly upon canary-seed, and 
allowed frequent baths. With this treatment they 
will continue in perfect health for many years. 




THE TROOPIAL. 



The South American Troopial has a beautiful 
rich plumage, and looks very much like our Ameri- 
can golden robin, or what is known as the Baltimore 
oriole ; the chief difference being that he is much 
larger in size, with the orange of the body more of a 
yellow. Few, if any, birds have a natural song at 
once so sweet and powerful as this ; and none have 
a nicer ear and a more retentive memory. Take a 
young male, and instruct him carefully by means of 
a flageolet or flute, and he will not only repeat the 
air played, but imitate the very tones of the instru- 

75 



76 THE TROOPIAL. 

ment with astonishing fidelity. We have heard 
troopials thus instructed whose strain seemed to us 
the very perfection of melody, such as only a skilful 
performer could produce ; and such a one as this is 
really a valuable bird. Give us the troopial with 
the loud sweet song morning and evening, the vesper 
and matin chants, and his beautiful plumes seeming 
veritable sunbeams of the tropics, diffusing light and 
warmth around. 

They are extremely active, and very graceful in 
their movements, and require a cage the same size 
that a mocking-bird is usually confined in. In 
their wild state their food consists of insects and 
berries ; caged, they require the same food and 
treatment as the mocking-bird. They may also be 
brought up without much difficulty upon white bread 
soaked in milk, and raw lean meat scraped fine, and 
mixed with it. There are few wild birds, which, 
when confined, become so thoroughly domesticated 
as the troopial. They can be taught with little 
trouble to accept food from the hand, to fly to and 
perch upon the one who regularly attends to their 
daily requirements ; while their extreme docility is a 
fact proven beyond a doubt. 





THE BRAZILIAN CARDINAL. 

The Brazilian Cardinal is one of the beautiful 
whistling birds of the tropics, and is justly admired 
as a cage-bird. The back is dark gray, the quill- 
feathers of the wings are of a darker shade of the 
same color, and the tail is nearly black ; the head, 
crest, cheeks, and throat are bright red of an orange 
hue, deepest on the chest, where it ends in a point ; 
the lower part of the body is grayish white, and the 
feet and legs are black ; the strong beak is dusky 
gray ; the crest is pointed like that of the Virginia 
nightingale, and is raised and depressed at pleasure. 
His brilliant scarlet head forms a beautiful contrast 
with the snowy white of his bod}^ In addition to 
his beautiful plumage, he is also gifted with powers 
of song. If fed upon unhulled rice and canary-seed, 
and given plenty of bathing water, he will live many 
years in confinement. 

7* n 




THE JAVA SPARROW. 

The Java Sparrow takes his name from the Java 
Islands, where they abound in immense numbers. 
Their chief recommendation is the great neatness 
and beauty of plumage ; their glossy black head, with 
clear white cheeks, and delicate rose-colored bill, 
that looks like a piece of wax-work, and their light- 
slate or almost ashen-gray body, forming one of the 
richest combinations of colors ; the plumage being 
so neat and smooth that the feathers all seem to fit 
into each other ; and all appear covered with bloom 
78 



THE JAVA SPARROW. yc) 

like that upon plums. They are very affectionate 
birds, and happy in confinement ; and occasionally 
one is seen that can in reality be called a bird of 
song. They can be taught a variety of amusing 
tricks ; and, perhaps more than any other caged bird, 
will perform their tricks at command, with the seem- 
ing fear of a child. The pairs are much attached to 
each other, and are continually dressing each other's 
feathers. They are generally fed upon canary and 
millet seed, but in a wild state live chiefly on rice. 
At a bird exhibition at Crystal Palace, London, a 
few years since, a pair of Java sparrows were exhib- 
ited, entirely white, with the black head and throat 
and rose-colored beak of the gray Java sparrow, and 
with the plumage equally soft and downy ; and I was 
told that they were most beautiful birds. 




80 THE MOCKING BIRD. 



TO THE MOCKING-BIRD. 

BY R. H. WILDE. 

Winged mimic of the woods ! thou motley fool ! 

Who shall thy gay buffoonery describe ? 
Thine ever-ready notes of ridicule 

Pursue thy fellows still with jest and jibe. 

Wit, sophist, songster, Yorick of thy tribe, 
Thou sportive satirist of Nature's school, 

To thee the palm of scoffing we ascribe, 
Arch-mocker and mad Abbot of misrule ! 

For such thou art by day ; but all night long 
Thou pourest a soft, sweet, pensive, solemn strain, 

As if thou didst in this thy moonlight song 
Like to the melancholy Jacques complain, — 

Musing on falsehood, folly, vice, and wrong, 
And sighing for thy motley coat again. 




THE MOCKING BIRD. 

The American Mocking-Bird. — This unrivalled 
songster, though he may not possess the melodious 
sweetness of the nightingale and lark, or the beau- 
tiful pipe of the blackbird, yet in himself he unites 
all the excellences to a greater extent than any 
other living bird. Who, on passing through the 
streets of any large city on a bright night in June, 
has not heard the shrill scream of the eagle, the 
mourning note of the turtle-dove, the- delicate 
warble of the blue-bird, the cackling of the domes- 
tic hen, followed by the quarrelling of a dozen or 
more grunalkins, each seeming to vie with the other 
as to the quantity of noise; then the cry of the 



82 MOCKING-BIRD FOOD. 

katydid, the mellow whistle of the cardinal, the 
grunt of the maternal porker searching for her 
juveniles, the creaking of some rusty swing-sign- 
board, the pipe of the canary, and the cry of some 
lost puppy wailing in the midnight air, and each 
succeeding the other with such rapidity, that the 
listener wonders if such a variety can come from 
so small an object. All this the mocking-bird is 
capable of. The mocking-bird is a general favorite, 
and deserves to be attentively cared for. He is 
particular, and should be fed and watered at the 
same time every day. His cage should be large, and 
kept very clean, with plenty of gravel. His food 
should be 

Reiche's prepared Mocking-Bird Food. — All 
other mocking-bird foods are only worthless imita- 
tions of this, and, in many cases, have been found 
to be very injurious to the bird. It is in bottles all 
ready for use. In boxes, it will need the addition 
of grated carrot. The box food is the cheapest and 
best. A good way is to change every few weeks 
from one to the other. An addition of ants' eggs 
occasionally with their food (Chas. Reiche & Bro. 
are the only importers of them) is very beneficial ; 
a little sweet apple grated up with the food gives 
it a very fine flavor, and often restores the appetite 
when it seems quite poor. 

A Supply of Insects should be gathered during 
the proper season, such as flies, grasshoppers, spi- 
ders, &c., and put loosely in a paper bag, and hung 
up to dry ; and, when used in winter, they should 



MOCKING-BIRD FOOD. 83 

have boiling water poured over them, which will 
soften them, and make them as palatable as if they 
were still alive. A grasshopper thus prepared is a 
Thanksgiving dinner to your bird. Zante currants, 
the same as used for cake, washed clean, soaked 
over night, and wiped dry, also make a dainty 
morsel. 

Meal-Worms give a bird a great deal of life, and, 
being the richest of food, should only be given 
occasionally, say six to ten worms in a month. Every 
owner of a soft-bill bird should raise a stock of 
meal-worms. The process is very simple, and con- 
sists in first taking an old box or jar, and placing 
therein a quantity of bran or meal, — in fact, any fari- 
naceous meal, — a few biscuit or part of a loaf of 
bread, a few pieces of leather from an old, worn-out 
boot or shoe, and some woollen rags ; place therein 
a few meal-worms, — say fifty, — and then cover the 
opening tightly with a thick cloth. If this cloth is 
moistened with water occasionally, they will breed 
faster ; and, if not disturbed, at the expiration of from 
four to six months, you will have thousands. 

MocKiNG-BiRDS HAVE DISEASES. — Should youf 
bird's feathers stand loosely all over, and he still 
seem healthful, give him cooling food only. Should 
your bird be dumpish and stupid, a few spiders will 
usually cure him. Should he refuse to eat, examine 
his tongue, and you probably will find on it a horny 
scale : this must be removed with great care, as, if 
allowed to remain, your bird will surely die. To 
remove this scale, hold the bird on his back <irmly 



84 MOCKING-BIRD DISEASES. 

with one hand, and, with the finger-nail of the other 
hand, gently peel this scale from the tongue. Care- 
fully watch the bird's droppings, and immediately 
apply the cure for illness. 

Diarrhoea is cured by a very rusty nail placed 
in his drinking-cup, and the reverse by insect food, 
or water with a few ants' eggs soaked in it. Blind- 
ness is not to be cured ; and the bird thus attacked 
will shortly die, its spirit being broken by the illness. 

During* the month of May, sometimes earlier, all 
birds have what is called the 

Mating Fever. — They grow melancholy, allow 
their feathers to grow rough, cease to " plume 
themselves" before retiring, waste away, and die. 
All lovers of birds must have observed that a bird 
never goes to sleep without arranging, just before 
dark, eveiy feather. The uniformity and tedious- 
nes.<i of a bird's life, confined in a cage, that was 
not bred in one, is the cause of this mating-fever. 
They have an ungratified sensual desire. In many 
instances they forget their inclination for freedom 
and a mate, by simply changing the cage, and hang- 
ing near a window, where their time will be taken 
up in watching new surroundings. 

MocKiNG-BiRD Lice are a great annoyance to a 
bird, and should be gotten rid of. This is best 
done by placing the bird in another perfectly clean 
cage ; then steep some fine-cut chewing tobacco in 
water, and, with a very weak solution, wash the bird 
very thoroughly, particularly under the wings.; then 
place a white cloth or towel on top of the cage, 



BIRD-LICE AND IMPROPER FOOD. 85 

and they will crawl up, and in a few days you will 
be rid of them. Clean your cage very thoroughly 
before you replace your bird therein ; and, with 
proper attention to cleanliness, you will not again 
be troubled with them. 

Experience has taught us that nine-tenths of the 
ailments of birds are caused by improper feeding. 
Bits of sugar, candy, daily green food, grapes, meat 
from the table, — all are bad for any bird. Birds need 
plain food, regularly given. Seed-birds require seed 
free from dust ; other birds, food mixed daily in 
clean vessels. A bath should be s^iven the mockinir- 
bird daily ; and the vessel should be removed from the 
cage when the bird has bathed. You can soon 
teach any bird to bathe directly when you give him 
his bath, if you give it to him at the same hour each 
day. If irregular yourself, the bird will contract the 
same habit. 

These remarks on the mocking-bird will also apply 
to the thrush, starling, lark, nightingale, robin, black- 
cap, and, in fact, all the family of -soft-bill birds. 
In doctoring your sick bird, ascertain as nearly as 
possible what his complaint is, and apply the rem- 
edy ; if it does not succeed, try another. Birds have 
been known to be at the point of death with cos- 
tiveness, when a small spider has been forced down 
their throats, and a large knitting-needle, dipped 
into oil, inserted into the passage as an injection, 
and the bird caused to fly a few feet, when imme- 
diate relief followed, and in a few hours the bird 
was again in song. 




• THE GROSBEAK. 

" How, when morning softly blushes, 

At my window sitting near, 
Hear I, from the alder-bushes, 
Grosbeaks' notes, and songs of thrushes, 

Welcoming the opening year ! 

While the amorous doves are cooing. 

Swallows darting here and there. 
Dusky martins twittering, wooing. 
Swift their flying mates pursuing 
Through the soft and humid air. 
86 



ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. 87 

And there a song-bird built his nest, 
Of slender twigs and moss and clay, 

And trilled from out his carmine breast, — 
His happy breast, — 

Tlie livelong day." 

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak, though a very 
elegant bird, is but little known ; yet few of our 
domestic birds much surpass him in sweetness of 
song, or beauty of plumage. He sings by night as 
well as by day, and the notes are very clear and mel- 
low. His great rarity accounts for the fact that he 
is so seldom seen caged ; yet no bird can be more 
highly prized ; the bright carmine breast, and deep 
black and snowy white body, forming such a rich 
contrast. Caged, he becomes very tame in a short 
space of time, and, being well contented in confine- 
ment, lives many years. He usually keeps in the 
best of health if fed upon nothing but canary-seed. 
If hemp or unhulled rice (unless necessary) is fed, 
he will eat until it is with difficulty that he can move 
from the bottom of the cage. 





THE BOBOLINK. 



Merrily swinging on brier and weed, 
Near to the nest of his little dame, 
Over the mountain, river, and mead, 
Robert of Lincoln is telling his name 
Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink ; 
Snug and safe is that nest of ours. 
Hidden among the summer flowers, 
Chee, chee, chee ! 



88 



Bryant. 



THE BOBOLINK. 89 

The Bobolink received his name from a peculiar 
song of his own, in which he expresses very dis- 
tinctly the words " boh-o-liiik " several times in suc- 
cession. They are found all over the United States 
in the summer season, in great numbers, but migrate 
southerly when cold weather approaches. Their 
song is a confused, merry jingle of notes, of about 
the quality of the canary, but without any method 
whatever. They are easily domesticated to cage-life, 
and, when fed on nothing but canary-seed (no hemp), 
will sing about eight months of the year. They are 
hardy, and will live many years. The author owned 
one that was sent to the World's Fair in 185 1, and, 
after taking the first prize in Europe, came safely 
back to America. 





THE VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. 



" Give me but 
Something whereunto I may bind my heart, 
Something to love, to rest upon, to clasp 
Affection's tendrils round." 

Mrs. Hemajis. 

The Virginia Nightingale, sometimes called the 
Virginia red-bird, sometimes the cardinal, is a native 
of the Southern States, and one of the handsomest 
birds of the New World. His color is of a brilliant 
red, with the exception of the throat and the part 
round the beak, which are black. The head is orna- 
mented with a tuft, which he is capable of raising, 
giving a very commanding appearance. Together 
90 



VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. 9 1 

with his beautiful plumage, this bird is gifted with a 
very sweet, pleasing song, or rather whistle, which 
sounds almost like the playing of a flageolet, being 
very pleasant to the ear. He is very hardy, and 
easily taken care of. He is also very tender-hearted, 
and kind in feeding young birds even of a different 
species, when placed in the, same cage. One belong- 
ing to an old woman at Washington earned for his 
mistress a large sum of money by rearing a number 
of young birds of other species placed under his 
charge. He should be fed with a mixture of canary 
and hemp seed, and rough (unhulled) rice, to which 
may be added a little fresh green food, or a piece of 
apple occasionally. When properly treated, this 
bird often attains the age of fifteen years ; though he 
will fade away from the beautiful scarlet to a delicate 
shade of pink. A lady who has had a pet Virginia 
nightingale for some years says he is still in the 
highest health and beauty ; she feeds him upon 
canary-seed, giving him a few hemp-seeds, four or 
five meal-worms, or spiders, grubs, or caterpillars 
every day. He is fond of Spanish nuts, almonds, 
walnuts, and Indian corn, but cannot crack the nuts. 
A piece of salt and a lump of chalk are always kept 
in his cage, and she gives him opportunity for a daily 
bath. The salt causes the bird to retain his bril- 
liancy, and the chalk keeps him regular. 



THE AMERICAN LINNET. 

" Some humble heart is sore and sick with grief, 
And straight thou comest with thy gentle song, 
To wile the sufferer from its hate or wrong, 
By bringing Nature's love to his relief. 
Thou charmest by the sick child's window long, 
Till aching pain itself be wooed to sleep ; 
And, when away have vanished flower and leaf, 
Thy lonely, wailing voice for them doth weep, — 
Linnet, wild linnet ! 

God saw how much of woe and grief and care 
Man's faults and follies on the earth would make ; 
And thee, sweet singer, for His creature's sake. 
He sent to warble wildly everywhere, 
And by our souls to love to wake. 
92 



THE RED LINNET. 93 

O blessed wandering spirit ! unto thee 
Pure hearts are knit, as unto things too fair 
And good and beautiful of earth to be, — 

Linnet, wild linnet ! " 

NicholL 

The Red Linnet, a beautiful singing, or we might 
say whistling bird, is one that should be as univer- 
sally kept as the canary. His song is equally as 
sweet ; and he -will sing for ten months cf the year, 
or the whole season, excepting during the time of 
moulting. The song consists of a variety of low, 
sweet-sounding notes, which are never harsh to t!ie 
ear ; and if kept near other birds, the power of imi- 
tation being very good, he will soon add many beauti- 
ful notes to the already sweet song. In confinement 
he becomes very tame, and, if fed sparingly, will live 
a number of years. He should be fed exclusively on 
. rape and canary seed, and, at times, a short allowajice 
of that. If hemp-seed is fed, very soon he has a 
giddiness followed by epilepsy, and shortly after by 
death. He is fond of bathing, of two kinds ; first, 
like the sky-lark, in plenty of gravel, and second, in 
water ; and a bath must be given daily. 




THE AMERICAN YELLOW-BIRD. 

" Blooming trees, and bubbling springs ! 
Bless me, how that wild-bird sings !" 

The American Yellow-Bird, or what in reality 
is the American goldfinch, is a beautiful lemon- 
colored bird with a black cap and black and white 
wings, and has always been a favorite with every- 
body. He is a pretty thing to look at, and has many 
graceful attitudes when jumping about in a cage ; or, 
as we once heard a countr}^voman say, who was a 
great lover of birds, " He has such a many winning 
ways with him, that one can't help liking him, if 
even we try." Then to say nothing of his singing, 
although that is very pleasant to listen to, — a little 
deficient in variety perhaps, not so quick in picking 
up tunes as a few other birds, — still he can do no 
end of things which better singers cannot do ; and, . 
in a wild state, his song has a brisk, cheerful, heart- 
stirring ring. Thousands are caught every season 
by means of trap-cages, using almost any bird for a 
decoy. If fed upon maw, millet, and a little canary- 
seed (the two latter should be soaked a little), and 
otherwise treated as a canary, he has been known to 
live ten years in confinement. 

94 




THE NONPAREIL. 



" A merry welcome to thee, glittering bird ! 

Lover of summer flowers and sunny things ! 
A night hath passed since my young buds have heard 

The music of thy rainbow-colored wings, — 
Wings, that flash sparkles out where'er they quiver, 
Like sudden sunlight rushing o'er a river." 

The Nonpareil is what his name indicates, — 
" without an equal ; " being one of the most beautiful 
cage-birds, and needs only to be seen to be admired. 
He is called by many authors the " painted finch " 
or "painted bunting," and is also spoken of by 
Buffon as "the pope," on account of his benutiful 
violet hood. I have a beautiful specimen of the 
bird, which at the present moment has a violet head 

95 



96 THE NONPAREIL. 

and neck, a red circle round the eyes, the iris brown, 
the beak and feet brown, the upper part of the back 
yellowish-green, the lower part of the back, and the 
throat, chest, and whole under part of the body, as 
well as the upper tail-coverts, of a bright red ; the 
wing-coverts are green, the quills reddish-brown 
tinged with green ; the tail is reddish-brown. He is 
about the size of the English robin, and very much 
resembles that bird in his attitudes and character- 
istics ; and. his song, though not powerful, is very 
agreeable. He is fed upon canary and millet seed, 
and is exceedingly fond of flies and spiders, which he 
ought to have to keejD him in health. If I offer him 
one, he darts across the cage to seize it, and takes it 
from my hand fearlessly ; and, when allowed to fly 
about the room, will catch flies for himself, either 
pouncing upon them in the window, or taking them 
on the wing in the course of a rapid dash across the 
room. He is a sociable bird, and very inquisitive, 
hopping about on the table, and examining every- 
thing he sees ; and, when tired of his sudden flights 
about the room, will go to a vase of flowers placed 
before a mirror, and warble away to his image re- 
flected in the glass. This bird is very fond of bath- 
ing, and should therefore be daily provided with a 
bath ; but, when allowed to fly about a room, care 
must be taken not to leave a pitcher, or any large 
vessel with water, within his reach, as he is very apt 
to attempt to bathe, and might get drowned. 




THE SONG SPARROW. 

" A sparrow lights upon a bough, 
And says, ' I'll eat my fill here now ; 
'Twill make me vigorous of wing, 
And give me strength of voice to sing.' " 

The Song Sparrow is seldom seen caged, prob- 
ably on account of the plainness of his wardrobe. 
He has a song, though a short one, with quite a 
variety of notes, commencing very much like the 
admired water-note of the canary. This he will 
repeat many times in succession, and also an endless 
number of times a day. He is a playful bird, and 
hours can be pleasantly passed in watching his 
antics. Caged, he should be fed the same as the 
canary. 

9 97 




THE INDIGO BIRD. 

" Welcome tidings thou dost bring, 
Little harbinger of spring." 

The Indigo Bird is one of America's sweet-voiced 
warblers, a native of our own sunny South, visiting 
the Northern States when warm weather has fairly 
established itself. His color is a beautiful shade of 
indigo blue, and size the same as the canary. His 
song, though short, is quite agreeable, and by many 
considered very sweet. He will become very tame, 
and live many years in confinement. If fed upon 
nothing but Ccina.ry, millet, and rape seed, with occa- 
sionally a little green stuff, with the addition of a 
bath daily, he will keep in excellent condition and 
song. 

98 




THE AMERICAN ROBIN. 



The American Robin, from his proved docility, 
and power to imitate even tunes that may be taught 
him when young, is becoming a favorite for the cage. 
When taken from the nest and brought up by hand, 
and consequently tame, he can in a short space of 
time be taught a tune of considerable length, which 
he will whistle with accuracy, and in its accomplish- 
ment exhibit considerable musical ability. The 
golden robin, sometimes called the Baltimore oriole, 
sometimes fire-bird, and several other names in dif- 
ferent parts of the Union, is very similar in appear- 
ance to the South American troopial ; being, however, 
but two-thirds its size, and not of as hardy constitu- 
tion, nor has he the capacity for learning tricks. 
His song is a low, sweet, mellow whistle. He is, 
however, kept more for beauty of plumage than song. 
In confinement he should be treated the same as 
a mocking-bird. 

99 



AVIARY 




FOR COLLECTION OF BIRDS. 



FINCHES. lOI 

Finches for the Aviary. — These pretty little 
creatures are charming pets for the drawing-room, 
and of the utmost interest to the lover of birds. 
Tliey are kept more particularly for their beauty 
of plumage. They are thoroughly happy in each 
other's society, and sit all together in a row, on a 
long perch, packed as closely as possible, caressing 
and pluming each other. There are many varieties ; 
and they may be classed under the general terms of 

Waxbills and Avadavats. — Chief among the 
many, we would mention the waxbills, which do not, 
as a general rule, sing any thing like a song ; but 
they chirp considerably, and it is a soft, pleasant 
warble. The orange-cheeked waxbill is a beautiful 
smooth little bird, always as neat as possible, with 
every feather in its place, vermilion beak, gray 
head, neck and throat brown. The female is about 
the same in general appearance. The zebra, or 
orange-breasted waxbill, is quite small, but very 
pleasing ; and, as he is scarcely three inches long, 
he is considered desirable. The St. Helena waxbills 
are considerably larger, being about four inches and 
a half in length. A remarkable feature of this 
species is, that all the feathers have transverse, 
blackish, wavy lines over them, and look very soft 
and silky. The gray-blue is of delicate slate-color 
over the whole body, with silvery-white spots on 
the sides. The courdon bleu, or, as some call this 
well-known finch, crimson-eared waxbill, is also an 
African bird, and one of great beauty. The male 
has a soft, pleasing song, and is usually to be heard 



102 FINCHES. 

cooing, as if for his own amusement. This little 
fellow has a peculiar habit of singing with a bit of 
twine, or something which he can hold, in his bill. 
If he can find a piece of cotton, or a stalk of any 
kind, he will hop about his cage, and sing to his 
utmost. The spice bird, also known as the " nut- 
meg " and " cinnamon bird," and described by some 
authors under the name of "gowry" or " go wry 
grosbeak." These birds are somewhat larger than 
the African finches, and are equally entertaining. 
They are of various colors, but are generally 
found with the head, neck, throat, and upper part 
of the body a rich brown, the breast and sides 
white, wings and tail brown. The male has a 
[peculiar song, which will hardly attract attention, 
save that the female regards it as pleasing ; for she 
always places her head close to her mate's while he 
is singing, and is evidently unwilling to lose a single 
note. The silverbill, or quaker bird, somewhat 
resembles the spice bird in shape and size. The 
male has a pretty v,^arbling song, and he will often 
dance upon his perch, as if keeping time to his 
melody. When kept in couples, they become very 
affectionate, and devote the greater part of their 
time to preening and caressing each other. There 
is also an Indian silverbill ; but they are not arj 
common, though occasionally they can be found. 
The red-tailed finch is also apretty bird, having ^ ver- 
milion beak. The wings, back, and head are grayish, 
the breast nearly the same color, dotted with whitish 
spots ; the under part of the body a pale straw color ; 



■ FINCHES. 103 

the tail a bright red. The male has an agreeable 
song. The amandava finch is a native of India. 
They are somewhat smaller than the St. Helena 
waxbill. As they vary somewhat in color, and as it 
is not until they are two or three years old that 
they come to their perfect plumage, it is somewhat 
difficult to describe their appearance so that it would 
be of use to those in search of this charming little 
warbler. As a rule, the best birds have the head 
and under part of the body a bright red, with an 
occasional black feather ; the back a light brown, 
and the tail black. The fire finch bears a strong 
resemblance to the avadavats, at certain seasons of 
the year. It is somewhat larger, but has little or 
no song. They are kept particularly for their beauty 
and cheerful disposition. The saffron finch is in 
many respects similar to the canary, though not 
quite as large. In point of color, however, the finch 
is more desirable, as the shades are of brighter 
tints. These birds come from Brazil, and are 
greatly sought after for the aviary, as they are of the 
most sociable disposition, and live in the utmost 
agreement with their comrades. The Cuba and 
negro finch have recently been introduced into 
this market, and with a good degree of success ; 
also the Queenisland or Rockhampton finches, 
which are brought from Australia. The banded finch 
is another choice bird, and one which will speedily 
become a favorite. The whole body is of a rich chest- 
nut-brown, both above and below; the upper andundei 
tail coverts white, and the tail black. The dia- 



104 FINCHES. 

mond sparrow, or " spotted-sided finch," is also a 
native of Australia. It is a short, stout bird, some- 
what larger than the St. Helena waxbill. The under 
part of the body is white, and the sides under the 
wings quite black, with oblong white spots ;- the 
lower part of the back and upper tail-feathers are of 
a deep carmine. They have the utmost desire to 
catch flies, and, if allowed the liberty of a room, 
will rush to the window, and remain by the hour 
catching them. They can be made remarkably tame, 
and can be trusted without their cage to a consider- 
able extent. Their song is limited. The cut-throat 
sparrow, sometimes called " Indian sparrow," or 
" fascinated finch," is about half the size of an Eng- 
lish sparrow. It is of a delicate grayish-fawn color, 
spangled with white spots. They have a soft, deli- 
cate twitter, which can scarcely be called a song. 
The " little doctor " is from the South- American ports. 
The plumage of the male is of a beautiful shade of 
bluish-black, with an occasional white spot. They 
have a habit of sitting in the middle of their perch, 
and holding up one foot, singing to each other for 
hours. They can easily be tamed. There are 
numerous other varieties, including the magpie 
finch, celestial, negro, nuns, both black and white 
capped, &c., &c. These birds can be kept in 
one cage, and indeed they are miserable without 
companions ; and, if two birds of different species 
lose their respective mates, they are almost sure to 
console themselves and to consort together. They 
should be fed upon millet-seed, and given a bath 



WHYDAH BIRD. 



105 



daily ; but great care should be taken that they are 
kept in a warm room, and, if possible, in the warm 
rays of the sun. When moulting, a pinch of Cayenne 
pepper, sprinkled on the sand in the bottom of the 
cage, once or twice a week, will be found beneficial. 
They are fond of the sun, and delight to bask in its 
warmth ; but care must be taken not to leave them 
exposed to cold draughts or the dampness of the 
night air. With the above precautions, all these 
birds can be kept in cages for many years. 

The Paradise Whydah Bird is a well-known 
cage-bird, and one of great beauty. Some fanciers 
have given this bird the name of " the widow," from its 
quiet manner and its general color of plumage. The 
name is really that of a kingdom on the east coast 
of Africa. The great beauty of the paradise why- 
dah bird is in its curiously-formed tail, the two 
centre-feathers of which are very broad, and about 
four inches long : the outer feathers are in some 
cases from thirteen to sixteen inches in length, 
broad in the centre, and tapering down to a delicate 
point. These birds are easily kept in aviaries, and 
in Southern France they have been bred in cages. 
The shaft-tailed whydah is a smaller and much 
more delicate bird : the tail is entirely different from 
the paradise whydah, yet quite as interesting. It is 
short and fan-shaped ; the body of the middle 
feathers is extended into naked quills, which are 
about seven or eight inches long. The song of this 
species is of excellent quality. The weavers are a 
most companionable bird: they are brought from 



1 06 WEAVERS. 

Africa, India, and parts of the Asiatic islands. 
Their weaving instincts are exhibited upon every 
possible occasion : they will gather every piece of 
thread, blade of grass, or whatever of that nature 
may come in their way, and weave it into the wires 
of their cage after the most fantastic fashion. One 
could pass the entire day watching the workings of 
these ingenious and industrious little fellows. If their 
friends do not provide for their weaving wants, they 
will resort to the most extraordinary means whereby 
they can supply themselves. They will try to steal 
the trimmings of ladies' dresses, and will be continu- 
ally pilfering grass and straw from other cages, 
which they will weave into the most fantastic forms. 
The author once owned a pair, which he kept in a cage 
with larger birds. These little fellows would weave 
the legs of the larger birds so tightly together that 
their bonds required cutting. There is a species of the 
weaver which is called by some the grenadier gros- 
beak. This bird should be termed the bishop bird, 
and, when in full plumage, is certainly very 
beautiful. It will live with other birds, and is 
apt to become ver}^ sociable with its companions, 
who will be caught in the meshes of its weaving if 
not upon their guard. So far as possible in a 
volume of this size, the description of finches will 
be found to be complete and reliable. These birds 
are . all suitable for the aviary ; but the following 
birds can be placed with them by those who de- 
sire to make a more extended collection : canary, 
goldfinch, linnet, bulfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch, 



BIRDS FOR AVIARY. 10/ 

siskin, American goldfinch, indigo bird, nonpareil, 
song sparrow, Java sparrow, Australian paroquets, 
love birds, mountain finch, rose bunting, cardinal 
grosbeak or Virginia nightingale, red -breasted 
grosbeak, Brazilian cardinal, crossbill, pine gros- 
beak, hawfinch, and sparrow. Of course the bird 
family, like all others, is liable to domestic troubles. 
Sometimes a bird of certain species will become 
troublesome, and destroy the quiet and happiness 
of the entire family. When such a one is found^ he 
should be taken out and exchanged at a first-class 
bird-store for another of its kind : by this means the 
aviary will become a model of quietness and har- 
mony. 

The house of Charles Reiche & Brother have 
experienced a great deal of trouble, especially in 
earlier years, from the enormous duties which they 
were obliged to pay as customs for the importation of 
foreign birds. In order to facilitate the importation 
of choice birds from the different countries, this 
house for many years paid heavy duties under pro- 
test, while they carried on a suit with the government 
of the United States. It was only after a number of 
years, and after the cage had pa«sed through every 
court to the Supreme Court of the United States, that 
Chief Justice Chase decided, in 1872, that a bird was 
not an animal, and therefore, by the letter of the law, 
exempt from duty. Since that decision, the lovers 
of birds have been able to procure them at a low 
rate in comparison to that which they would have 
been obliged to pay, had it not been for the persever- 
ance of Messrs. Charles Reiche & Brother. 



I08 BIRD-SEED. 

Bird-seed. — Very few persons are aware how 
much a bird's health, and consequently its song, 
depends upon the selection of seed. There are 
as many qualities or grades of canary-seed as 
there are qualities or grades of flour. Is all fiout 
alike? If it is, then all seed is alike. The qual- 
ity of canary-seed is usually based by dealers in seed 
upon the price per bushel, — it varying from $6.75 
to $8.00 at present writing (Jan, 1875). The very 
best seed is the 

Sicily Canary. — It is a very plump and heavy- 
feeling seed, and is extremely palatable to the bird. 
A sample of this seed — enough to last one bird 
two months — will be sent by mail, prepaid, on re- 
ceipt of twenty-five cents. 

The German Summer Rape-seed is excellent for 
birds, and should always be given them. It is their 
only food in Germany, where they are reared, and, 
being of a very cooling nature, will always keep the 
bird in excellent condition ; though, if fed on this 
exclusively, he will not sing as much as if his 
seed were mixed with canary, — the canary giving the 
bird life and animation. A package of clear 
RAPE, or rape and canaiy mixed, will be sent the 
same as the clear canary, and at same price. The 
next seed which is used, and often by persons en- 
tirely ignorant of its nature, is 

Hemp-seed. — This is a very rich, oily, sweet seed, 
and very much loved by birds of every species. 
When mixed with other seeds, the bird never fails 
to scatter all other around the room, searching 



BIRD-SEED. 109 

for this dainty morsel, and, so long as he has one 
seed, will not taste either rape or canary. This, 
being the richest of all seed, should be fed ver}' 
sparingly. If the bird is in health and song, never 
give hemp ; for it only fattens, and, if constantly fed, 
will ruin the song. Occasionally a bird seems deli- 
cate, and is a very small eater : in such a case give 
a few hemp, — and only a few, unless the bird be 
a long breed, in which case give about a thimble- 
ful, 7iot oftener than twice a week. Goldfinches and 
siskins are fed upon 

Maw-seed, sometimes called poppy. These two lit- 
tle climbing birds have very soft bills, — that is, the 
young birds, — and it is with difficulty that they 
crack rape and canary seed, unless it has been previ- 
ously soaked, until the birds are at least two years old. 
All birds are great lovers of maw-seed ; and it must 
be fed sparingly ; for, being a powerful opiate, 
they will feed upon it until they drop from the 
perch from its intoxicating effect. The few birds 
that require this seed, besides the preceding, are the 
bulfinch, canary, and occasionally some other seed- 
eating bird; for which see Treatment of Birds. The 
next seed used is called 

Paddy, — unhulled or rough rice. This seed is fed 
to most of the seed-eating birds of the rice-fields of 
the Southern States, and also those that come from 
China, Java, or in fact from any part of the v/orld 
that rice is grown. All of the family of grosbeaks 
are particularly fond of it, as is also the Java spar- 
row and rice bird. Our native bobolink is not 



I lO BIRD-SEED. 

averse to a bountiful supply ; but, with the feeding 
of this in any quantity, his vocal powers are ruined. 
For the family of finches, 

Millet-seed is used exclusively. It is the size 
and color of mustard-seed, very sweet ; and birds 
thrive remarkably well upon it, though many of them 
will also eat readily of rape and canaiy seed. This 
seed, being nutritious, can be fed to any seed-eating 
bird, and without detriment to them. The only 
other food required is 

Cracked Corn and cracked wheat. This is fed 
principally to macaws, parrots, paroquets (of the 
larger species), cockadillos, cockatoos, lories, &c. 
The corn, being of a heating nature, should only be 
given in small quantities. 

By the present postal laws, seed can be sent 
safely through the mail ; and all orders intrusted 
to us will be filled with the very best quality, and 
the largest possible amount forwarded for the money 
sent. 

To those living remote from a bird-store, and de- 
siring one of " God's joyous warblers," it is with 
pleasure that we here state that they can be safely 
sent by express to any part of the United States or 
Canadas. All any party need do is to give an order 
to an express company, accotnpanying the same 
with a five-dollar bill, — this is very important to the 
express company, — and for this sum he will procure 
you a first-class singing canary. I am aware that 
many people are reluctant to trust a bird to the 
supposed rough handling of an expressman. The 



TRANSPORTING. BIRDS. I I i 

expressman may handle a trunk roughly, and throw 
packages around in a careless manner, but noi 
the little innocent bird. 

Could you but see, as the author has so many, 
many times, on a cold, bleak winter's day, an ex- 
press-messenger, clad in an ordinary under-coat, 
drive to the store door, and take from his wagon a 
package of birds closely wrapped in his overcoat^ re- 
marking as he placed the package within the door, 
"I could not bear, Mr. Holden, to see the little 
things suffer such a terrible day as this." Or had 
you been with the author one stormy night last 
winter, when coming eastward from New York 
by steamer, upon which was a large shipment of 
birds in charge of the Adams Express Company, you 
might have seen the messenger, on arriving at Fall 
River, carry the package with the utmost care into 
the cars, and place it near the stove in that part of 
the car usually occupied by himself. The comfort 
and safety of these helpless creatures was to him of 
the utmost importance. Having some curiosity, 1 
asked him w hy he was so particular about the package, 
he replied, without knowing to whom he was speak- 
ing, " Ah, sir, I love those little birds ! they can- 
not take care of themselves, and God knows my first 
duty is to them." A call at the office of the com- 
pany revealed the fart, that the messenger was Mr. 
David Crowley, one jf the three survivors of the 
fated '' Lexington," which was burned in 1842. The 
house of Charles Reiche & Brother have shipped 
nearly half a million birds ; and this immense number 



112 TAMING AND TRAINING. 

without any loss worthy of mention. If our ex- 
perience is worth any thing, do not hesitate to 
order ; for the express company will always pur- 
chase at the point nearest j^our residence, and get 
them to you with as little exposure as possible. 

Almost all fanciers take a delight in having their 
birds so tame that they will not only take their food 
from the hand, but will readily fiy to, and remain 
with, the person from whom they daily receive atten 
tion. When wild birds are first caught and placed 
in a cage, it is not well to begin at once upon their 
education. It requires some little time for them to 
become accustomed to their nevv^ mode of life : the 
change of food, together with a diminishing of their 
usual exercise, so changes the fluids that the bird is 
not in a healthy condition, and is therefore wholly 
unfit for mental training. 

There are some birds which seem thoroughly in- 
capable of learning the important fact, that their at- 
tendant is their friend. When it is discovered that 
such is the nature of the bird in hand, it is as well 
to give up all hopes of attaining favorable results. 
Patience will, however, accomplish much ; and it is 
best to give a long and careful trial before pronoun- 
cing final judgment. Young birds can be taught 
more easily than old ones. Yet wdth siskins, gold- 
finches, Java sparrows, and chaffinches almost any 
age will answer. One of the best ways to teach a 
bird to fly and return, or to go out of doors perched 
upon the finger or shoulder, is first to tease it with a 
soft feather in its cage, leaving the door open. The 



TAMING AND TRAINING. II3 

bird at first will appear frightened, but, on finding 
that no harm is intended, will peck at the featlier, 
which should be quickly withdrawn. The bird, soon 
thinking that it has mastered the feather, thereby 
gains confidence, and will peck at the finger : soon 
it will come out of its cage, and perch upon the 
hand. A few choice morsels should be laid down for 
it ; and in this way it will soon learn to eat from the 
hand itself. The bird should then be made ac- 
quainted with some call, which should invariably 
be used whenever the training is going on ; after a 
short time the bird can be placed upon the shoulder, 
and carried from one room to another, care being 
taken to close the windows and outside doors. In 
this way it will speedily become accustomed to being 
handled, and can be allowed to fly about the room, 
inviting it to return by the previously-arranged call 
or whistle. As soon as it attends to the call with- 
out appearing nervous or frightened, it can be taken 
into the open air, and gradually accustomed to being 
carried abroad without its offering to fly. 

Adult birds should not be carried into the open 
air in the spring or in pairing time ; for at this season 
of the year they show indications of resuming their 
native wildness. A siskin, goldfinch, or canary can 
easily be tamed by cutting away more or less of the 
inner web of the pinion-feathers, care being taken 
that the bird shall have sufficient power to fly from 
the hand without injury. The nostrils are then 
smeared with any essential oil, — bergamot is as good 
as any, — which will render it partially insensible for a 



114 TAMING AND TRAINING. 

time. It should then be placed upon a finger, and 
changed from one to another. It may fly a few 
times, but should be brought back, and kept upon 
the hand until the effects of the oil have wholly 
passed away, when the bird, finding no harm is in- 
tended, will sit quietly. A few crushed hemp-seeds 
should be given for its good behavior, and the above 
repeated from day to day until a satisfactory result 
is obtained. Hunger will speedily teach a bird to 
take food from the hand. Place it in a small cage, — 
one that has a door large enough for the hand to pass 
through, — then remove all food. In a few hours tiy 
putting a seed-dish into the cage with your hand : if 
the bird flutters wildly about, and refuses to accept 
your offering, remove your dish, and wait a few hours 
longer. You will not be compelled to remain long 
in suspense, for two or three trials will generally 
effect a good result. After food has been accepted 
from the dish, tiy your hand ; and as soon as you 
have convinced your pupil that only from you can 
food be procured, and to you, and you only, must he 
look for all his goodies, a friendship v/ill be formed 
which he will not be first to break. Birds that are 
desired to be tame should be talked to and made 
of : thsy should be placed upon your writing-table, 
and every now and again a little notice taken of 
them. It is surprising how speedily these little 
fellows will learn the difference between neglect and 
attention. Some of the best birds which have been 
placed on exhibition have been those owned by 
tailors and shoemakers, who, owing to the nature 



TAMING AND TRAINING. 1 15 

of their business, could keep their feathered pupils 
constantly with them. 

Thus far I have spoken only of taming these 
" little dewdrops/' They are capable of still greater 
things, and can, with little or no coercion, be taught 
to perform many amusing tricks. The goldfinch 
and siskin may be taught to fire off small cannon, 
to imitate death, to draw up their food and water in a 
little bucket. The apparatus consists of two lines 
of broad, soft leather, in which there are four holes, 
through which their feet and wings are passed, and 
the ends are held together beneath the belly by a 
ring, to which is attached a delicate chain that sup- 
ports the buckets containing the food and drink. 
A bird thus equipped will draw up the chain by its 
beak, retaining the draw links by its feet, and thus 
succeeds in obtaining what he wishes. A cage can 
be made with a bay-window, in the floor of v/hich 
have a hole: across this place a. narrow bridge of 
wood, to which attach a small chain or piece of cord 
to hold the bucket, which should be about the size 
of a thimble. By drawing up the bucket filled with 
water, and letting the bird drink, then lowering it 
and pulling it part way up, he will soon acquire the 
habit of working at it. And, by gradually leaving 
a longer and longer length of chain between the 
bridge and the bucket, the bird will soon discover 
that he must pull the chain up into the cage, and 
hold it after it is there ; and he readily comprehends 
the necessity of holding the chain with his foot. A3 
soon as this is done, his education is complete. 



I 1 6 TAMING AND TRAINING. 

Birds which are taught in this way never forget, and 
are always unhappy if out of their cage. Care 
should be taken to see that the working of the ap- 
paratus is not hard, and that it is always in order, 
otherwise a serious result might follow. A chain 
attached to a little wagon may be drawn into the 
cage and held in the same manner ; and the bird 
may be taught to ring a bell by suspending it in a 
corner of the cage, and leaving him without seed 
until he is hungry, pulling the string attached to it 
and ringing it, and putting some favorite food into 
the glass. He will soon discover, that, whenever the 
bell rings, he gets his food, and will seize the string 
and ring it whenever he is hungry. 

A few words of advice to those about purchas- 
ing a bird. All lovers of birds desire one with 
beautiful plumage, as well as one gifted with exqui- 
site powers of song. There are times when it is 
impossible to secure both advantages in one bird, 
and, when this should be the case, always select the 
bird for his beauty of song, never for plumage. In 
visiting a bird-store to make a purchase, — perhaps 
your first one, — if the dealer has a large stock, and 
there is an incessant singing, it is almost an im- 
possibility for any person to select just such a bird 
as he desires. One that the purchaser may think is 
an elegant singer may, after you have him alone, 
prove to be only a " twittering " bird, and his song 
composed of only six or eight notes. Again, you 
may select a bird for a sick friend who desires 
something quieting, — something that will sing 



TAMING AND TRAINING. 11/ 

" words of comfort for hours of sorrow : " you may 
possibly select just such a bird ; but nine times out of 
ten you are liable to select a loud, shrill singer, wPiose 
notes seemingly pierce the brain. 

How are you to obtain that which you so much 
desire ? You have a friend whose bird just suits 
you; but that particular song you cannot by any 
possibility select in a bird-store. You have but one 
resource left ; and that is, your confidence in the 
dealer : tell him plainly what you wish ; and, if he 
has such a bird, you may depend upon his giving it 
to you ; for he knows, even better than the purchaser, 
just what is required ; and he will strive to please 
you, thereby not only gaining your esteem, but also 
the patronage of your friends, whom you will as- 
suredly send to "your bird-store." One source of 
great annoyance to a dealer is, after having select- 
ed such a bird, for the purchaser to turn to some 
other patron {always a perfect stranger) and ask his 
or her opinion of the bird, and then take the advice 
of a pej-son whom they never saw before, and proba- 
bly will never see again, and select a bird which 
the dealer knows is not what is desired, and in a 
few days — a week at furthest — return to exchange 
it ; when, by taking the dealer's first selection, and 
holding no conversation with a stranger whose 
knowledge of a bird may have been as profound as 
the bird's knowledge of him or her, thereby causing 
a " little unpleasantness " between dealer and patron, 
which was as needless as it was unnecessary. 

Many persons have an idea that a bird with clear 



Il8 TAMING AND TRAINING. 

yellow feathers is the best singer, while others main- 
tain that those with dark-green feathers are the best, 
and yet others think that a mottled bird is the 
best singer ] and many times it is hard to convince 
people otherwise. Upon inquiry, we find these ideas 
usually based upon the fact, that a friend of theirs 
once had a bird such and such a color, and it was 
a very fine singer, and they have been repeatedly 
told, that that colored bird was the best singer. To 
those who labor under this delusion we will simply 
state, that there are birds of every color that are in- 
ferior singers, and also those of every color that are 
very superior singers. The fact is, a bird's feath- 
ers have no more to do with his song than a lady's 
dress has to do with her voice. If a lady cannot 
sing with a plain dress, I doubt very much whether 
a moire trimmed with real lace would give her that 
much-wished-for accomplishment. In selecting a 
cage for a bird, always look first to his comfort, 
never forgetting that he is our little caged prisoner, 
and our first duty is to make his prison-life happy^ 
The canary and many other birds will live happily 
in a cage of any size or shape ; while there are 
many birds that must be confined in a flat-top cage ; 
others again that must be kept in a cage the top of 
which must be of wood. The bird-dealer is always 
the best judge of the kind of cage best adapted to 
a bird's requiremiCnts ; and, if you follow his advice, 
you cannot go amiss. The improvements made in 
cages for the comfort of its occupant during the 
past tliree years have been very many ; and, in raak- 



BIRD-CAGES. 1^9 

ing these improvements, style also has been consult- 
ed. We have the beautiful moresque, the Chinese 
pagoda, the Swiss cottage, the mansard, gothic, and 
in fact styles after every order of architecture, and 
many of them are very beautiful, and certainly 
pleasing to the eye. A bird's comfort, however, 
should be consulted a little, never forgetting that 
he is your caged prisoner; and your first thought 
always must be to make his prison life happy. 
Very few who own a 

" Little dewdrop of celestial melody " 

give a moment's thought to the fact that many of the 
song-birds require vastly different cages. A canary 
will pour forth his chant in any cage in which 
you place him. True, he loves a large cage, and 
will fly from one end to the other for joy. He will 
even take a bath several times a day if the oppor- 
tunity is given him, and plume his feathers times 
without number. All this he Vv^ill do, as well as eat, 
and sing occasionally. Should you keep such a 
bird for a pet, such a cage would answer every pur- 
pose : if you keep the bird for his song, then he 
must be kept in a small cage. 

Owners of feathered songsters must have ob- 
served that many of them constantly flutter their 
wings, and look up as if about to fly upwards ; others 
again look up, and turn their heads backwards, until 
you think they will fall backward, which they 
sometimes do. Did it ever occur to the owner of 
such a bird that he was not in a suitable cage ? for 



120 GRAVEL-PAPER AND SPRING PERCH. 

such is the fact. To those who have not studied 
this branch of natural history, and buy for the first 
time a bird and cage, always take the bird-dealer's 
advice as regards the cage. Your bird will then 
sing readily, remain quiet, and not fly as if afraid 
of his life, and ruin his plumage the first day that 
you possess him. 

Amongst the many recent patented improvements 
for a bird's comfort, none are more worthy of men- 
tion than the Singer gravel-paper, and Aldom's 
Patent spring perch. The gravel-paper is cut of 
suitable sizes to fit cages of almost every shape. 

The paper is a very superior quality of heavy ma- 
nila, and the gravel, or bird sand, is of the choicest. 
It is so placed as to loosely adhere to the paper by 
a very small quantity of paste, made from the best 
of flour, which allows the bird to pick it off very 
readily ; and this gravel is just as essential to a bird 
as his seed or bath. It also keeps the bottom of a 
cage in excellent condition ; and last, though not 
least, it keeps the bird's feet perfectly clean, thereby 
keeping him, as the inventor claims, " in health and 
song." 

The Aldom spring perch is an ingenious device 
at imitating the swaying of the limb of a tree : it 
gives to the bird a very graceful appearance ; and 
is unlike the old-fashioned swing, v/hich has broken 
so many limbs of birds. With this perch such an 
occurrence is an impossibility. 



TRAPPING BIRDS. 121 

Trapping Birds. — Bird-dealers are constantly 
receiving orders and calls for "bird-lime." This 
article is made from the inside bark of the holly, — 
a tree almost unknown in this country, though very 
plentiful in England. A substitute for this can be 
made by boiling linseed-oil away to about one-third 
the quantity you start with. It is a very dangerous 
operation, and should never be done in a house, its 
explosive qualities being fully equal to gunpowder. 
It will make a very strong bird-lime, and hold any 
small bird that lights upon a twig that lias been 
smeared with it. Unless, however, the trapper is 
near at hand to remove the bird at once, he becomes 
besmeared all over his body and wings ; and it is 
almost impossible to remove it until the bird moults, 
thereby, for the time being, ruining the sale of it. 
A far better way is with a trap-cage, and a bird for 
a caller ; and, if you can obtain a blind bird, he will 
sit quietly, and call all day long, and m.any, very 
many more birds can be taken than if the bird had 
his sight. 

A few words on the subject of carefully wrapping 
the paper around the cage in which a bird is taken 
from the store. 

There are very many people who think that a bird 
will " smother " if covered up closely. Such, how- 
ever, is not the case. A dealer knows better than 
any one else possibly can. And, if the purchaser 
would only remain quiet until the package was ready 
to deliver, he or she would always discover that the 
last thing done was to make a few small holes in the 



122 TRAPPING BIRDS. 

top to let out the hot air, but by no means let in cold ; 
if so, a bird would assuredly catch cold. And lastly, 
I will say to all who now own birds, or ever expect 
to, that all they require is suitable seed, as you have 
been informed in the body of this work, clean water 
for drinking and bathing daily, gravel-paper or sand 
on the bottom of the cage, a little green stuff or 
sweet apple once in three or four weeks, — not 
oftener, — and nothing else. 

Tobacco SiMOKE is not, as many suppose, inju- 
rious to birds. A little occasionallv is beneficial. 
I would not, however, recommend keeping a bird in 
a continued cloud of smoke. 

To CLEAN A BRASS, SILVER, OR GOLD PLATED CaGE, 

always wash with a sponge or piece of old towel, 
using clear cold water, and wipe dry. The surface 
of these cages being varnished, if hot water is used, 
they will have the appearance of being spattered 
with milk, which can never be removed. If they 
are scoured the same as brass-ware ordinarily is, the 
varnish will be removed, and the cage commence to 
corrode, and require polishing daily. 

Silver Plated and Brass Cages can be re- 
finished in two days, and made in appearance equal 
to new. Cages are refinished in silver for $2.00 ; in 
brass, $1.00. 




OUR PRICE-LIST. 



The constant inquiry', by mail and otherwise, since the issue of the 
two previous editions, for prices of the various birds, has rendered it 
necessary to pubUsh the following list of prices : — 

All young male canaries are sold for each J^4.oo 

Canary-birds that have been taught to pipe a tune are usually 

sold at each J^o-oo to $50.00 

Canary-birds that have part of a time mixed with their ordinary 

song are usually sold at each gio.oo to J20.00 

Canary-birds that have the notes of the English Nightingale, 
Lark, Robin, or of other fine whistling birds, mingled 
with their own song, sell at prices vaiying from 

each $5.00 to $10.00 

Canary-birds of a deep golden color, in perfect plumagt.', usually 

sell for each $7.00 

Cinnamon Canary. This highly-prized bird, if in perfect plu- 
mage and song, sells at prices varying from 

each $10.00 to $20.00 

Canaiy-birds of an ohve-green or golden-brown color usually 

sell at each $5.00 

All female canaries of the ordinary colors are sold at each $1.50 

High-colored females, either *5 deep golden color, olive-green, 
golden -brown, or any clear stock, sell at prices \arying 
itiom each $2.00 to $4.00 

The above prices for males and females apply to the short or Ger- 
man birds, which are the finest songsters. 

Long Breed or French Canaries, sometimes called lielgium or 
Antwerp birds, are sold at prices varying from 

each $5.00 to $15.00 
Males and females both bring the same jirice. 

The above prices refer to imported stock. 

Half Long Breed Canaries are sold at prices varying from 

each $4.00 to )^i2.oo 

123 



124 OUR PRICE-LIST. 

The demand for Long Breed birds is so limited, that there have been 
none imported worthy of calUng an importation for the past five years. 

The Bulfinch, unlearned each ^3.00 to $5.00 

" " that pipes one tune each ^15.00 to $40.00 

" " *' " two tunes each ^35.00 to $70.00 

" " " " three tunes $100.00 

The Black-Cap Wai-bler each $3.00 to $6.00 

The Blackbird e.icJi $8.00 to $15.00 

** " that pipes one tune each $15.00 to $40.00 

The Brazilian Cardinal each $5.00 to $8.00 

" " " a very choice songster $10.00 

The Goldfinch each $2.00 to $4.00 

•' '* a very choice songster $5- 00 

The Goldfinch Mule each $5.00 to $8.00 

** " " a very choice songster $10.00 
u u u u u u u and high colored 

each $10.00 to $25.00 

" Chaffinch , each $3.00 to $5.00 

" Java Sparrows each $2.00 to $2.50 

" Sky-Larks each $4.00 to $5.00 

" " " choice songsters each $6.00 to $10.00 

" Wood-Lark each $5.00 to $8.00 

" " " choice songsters each $15.00 

" Linnet, Gray or Brown each $2.50 to $4.00 

" " " ** choice songsters each $5.00 

" " Green each $5.00 

" " ** choice songsters each $7.00 

" Nightingale each $10.00 to $20.00 

" " choice songsters each $25.00 

" Siskin each $1.50 to $3.00 

" Starling each $5.00 to $10.00 

" " that pipes one tune each $15.00 to $40.00 

" Troopial each $12.00 to $15.00 

" Thrush each $3.oo to $15.00 

" " choice songsters each $15.00 to $25.00 

All the above are imported birds ; and the highest prices quoted 
should purchase the choicest bird of its kind in any part of America. 

The following birds, suitable for the aviary, comprising Avadavat or 
Amandava, Bishop Finch, Banded Finch, Cordon Bluefinch, Cut- 
throat Finch, Celestial Finch, Cuba Finch, Diamond Sparrow, Fire- 
finch, Fascinated Finch, Indian Sparrow, Indian Silver-bill, The Little 
Doctor, Magpie Finch, Negro, Nun (both black and white capped), 
Quaker Finch, Rockhampton Finch, Spotted-sided Finch, Saffron 
Finch, St. Helena Waxbill, Spice Birds. 

All the preceding birds average $3.00 each, and are imported from 
Europe, Asia, and Africa. 



OUR PRICE-LIST. I25 

Beautiful aviary cages for twelve to twenty birds ^18.00 

" "to hold twenty to forty birds ^40.00 

Australian Paroquets a pair ^10. do to ^15.00 

Robin Redbreasts (English) each ^^5.00 

English Sparrows a pair $:t.^o to ^3.00 

Parrots, gray (young birds) each ^10 00 to ^15.00 

" " talkers each ^20 00 to ^30.00 

" " extra fine talkers each ^30.00 to ^50.00 

" " " "■ " and singers each ^50.00 to §100.00 

" Double-yellow Head command the same prices as above. 
" Half-yellow Head figure about 25 per cent less. 
** Green about half the price of Gray. 

The above are imported from Australia, Africa, and South America. 

Bobolink (wild) each $0.50 to $1.00 

" in full song each ^i.oo to §3.00 

Cardinal Bird each $3.50 to $5.00 

Fire Bird each ^2.00 to ^5.00 

Grosbeak, rose-breasted each $3.50 to ^5.00 

" in full song each §5.00 to §10.00 

" Cardinal each §3.50 to §5.00 

Indigo Bird (wild) each §1.50 

" *' in full song each ^3.50 to §5.00 

Linnets, red (wild) each §1.00 

" in full song each §3.00 

Mocking-Birds (nestling) each §3.50 to §7.00 

" one-year-old, in song each §12.00 to §20.00 

** two-year-old choice songsters each §25.00 to §40.00 

** learned ones, to whistle a tune nearly perfect 

each §75.00 to §200.00 

Nonpareils each §5.00 

Robins (American) each §3.00 to §5.00 

" Golden each §3.00 to §5.00 

Red Birds each §3.50 to §5.00 

Song-Sparrows each §2.00 

" " in full song each §3.00 to §5.00 

Virginia Nightingales each §3.50 to §5.00 

Yellow Birds (American Goldfinch) each §0.50 to §3.00 

.// 

The above are American birds, and comprise all that are usually kept 
for either beauty of plumage, or elegance of song ; and of many of them 
it can be said, — 

" Notes with many a winding bout 
Of linked sweetness long drawn out." 

We have constantly on hand cages of every description, and at 
prices varying from seventy-five cents to forty dol'ars ; viz., — j 1 



126 OUR PRICE-LIST. 



Enamelled Cages with sliding doors and patent fastenings each ^.75 

to $8.00. 
Brass Cages at $3.00, increasing .50 each to $7.00 each. 

" " extra large each $7.50, $S.oo, and $10.00 

Silver-plated Cages each $7.00, $8.00, and $10.00 

*' " " with gold-plated trimmings 

$10.00, $15.00, and $16.00 
The above cages are adapted to all the small, seed-eating birds. 

Pan-ot Cages, new style, similar to the brass cages, at $3.00, in- 
creasing .50 each to $6.00. 
Parrot Cages, square, the finest made each $10.00 to 13.00 

Wooden Cages, thirty-two different styles, in size from eight by 
ten inciies to fourteen by twenty-sLx inches, at prices va- 
rying from each $1.50 to $5.00 
Wooden Cages for Mocking-Birds each $3.50 to $6.00 
Mocking-Bird Cages, square, new style each $10.00 to $13.00 
Sky-Lark Cages each $3.50 to $5.00 
Mouse Cages each $0.50 to $3.00 
Squirrel Cages eacli $2.50 to $6.00 
" " square, new style each gS.oo to $13.00 

Bird-Seed. See article on seed, page 69, 
Mocking-bird food, box or bottle each $0.50 

If sent by mail each $0.60 

Aldom's Spring Perch. See article on page 81. 

This perch will be sent free by mail on receipt of twenty-five cents. 

IMeal Worms. These can usually be obtained at feed-stores, grist- 
mills, or in pigeon-houses. 

Ants' Eggs. See article on page 43. We will send free by mail 
sufficient for one bird three montlis for twenty-five cents. 

Gravel Paper. See article on page 81. Price per package, twelve 
sheets, twenty-five cents ; if sent by mail, thirty cents. 

Bathing-dishes, Cups, Jars, Fountains, Bottles, Nests, Cuttle-Fish, 
Gravel, Perchwood, &c., can be obiained at any Bird or House-furnish- 
ing goods store. To those living remote from a bird-store, we will 
send any of the above articles by mail or expiess. 

Address 

NEW-YORK BIRD STORE, 

9 Bowdoin Square^ Boston^ Mass. 

Hbnry Reichb. Chas. F. Holebn. 



^°- 5- { Silver Plated 



OUR PRICE-LIST. I27 

The following list of prices refers to the chart at end of book. 

Price 

Each. 

$.75, i.oo, 1.50, 1.7s, 2.00, 2.25 

r Jap' d Cage, dia. of body, .... 7in., 8, g^, 9^, 9^, 10, 

J Brass Cage, diameter of body, 85 in $3 00 

"■ ' i " 9 •' 3 50 

I •• '• ' 94 " 4 00 

^ I Brass Cage, diameter of body, 85 in 4 00 

""'■'" •' ' 9 " 4 50 

No. 3. Brass Cage, diameter of body, 9 in 4 00 

No. 4. •' •• '■ «• " y " ^ yg 

9 5 00 

9 b 03 

^^ ^ 1 Brass Cage " " " 10 " 6 00 

' Silver Plated, with Gold Plated trimmings 10 00 

•jyj ( Brass Cage, Diameter of body 10 in 6 00 

t Silver Plated, with Gold Plated trimmings 10 00 

No. 8. Same as No. 6. 

No. 9. Brass Cage, body 9 x 11, x 105 in. high ' . 5 00 

10. 95 X 12, XI2 6 00 

"it " " '" ir. Y T7 Y T( " " f. 

!!• 10 X 13, X14 ...600 

12. 10 X 13, X 15 7 00 

" 13. " " " i3|xii, X 18, for Paroquet 8 00 

" 14. Brass Aviary, body 235 X 14^ X 27 in. high iS 00 

. 30 X 20, X322 ••.... ..40 DO 

" 15. " Cage, " iS X 15, X 23 *' for Parrot 10 00 

23 X. 'i, -^ 23 13 00 

'•' T''^. " " " 20 xi4:^,x22 " for Moclcin^-bird . . .1000 

" " " " " 24 X 14^, X 24 " " " " . . . . 12 00 

" 17. Brass Cage, body 15 x 13, x 20 " wheel 1 1 in. for Squirrel . goo 

" " " " « iS X IS, X 23 " " 14 " " " • 10 00 

« 18. " " " iS X 13, X20 " 2 " II " " " . . 12 00 

" " " " " 23 X 15, X 23 " " " 14 " " " • . 14 00 

" ig. New patent Feed Cup in most Brass Cages 20 

" 20. Hook for suspending Cage from ceiling 10 

" 21. Brass Chain, to hang Cage in window, — i yd 25 

" 22. " Spring, permitting a Cage to sway like a bough .... 25 

" 23. Spring Perch. A bird's delight 25 

" 24. Japanned Iron Hook, to project Cage from window .... 25 

" " Nickel Plated " " «« « « « 40 

" 25. Solid Brass " " " " " " 50 

" 26. Our Store, No. 9 Bowdoin Square. 

" 27. Map, showing " « " " 



128 OUR PRICE-LIST. 

Nos. iQ, 20, 21, 22, 53, 24, and 25, we seud to any address bj' mail, prepaid, 
on receipt of price. 

Nos. I to 18 inclusive, we send to any address within 1,000 miles of Bos- 
ton, by express, prepaid, on receipt of price. 

Our Brass Cages are warranted all brass wire and brass bottoms ; and Nos. 
1 to 1 1 inclusive have tin false bottoms, thus preventing the bath-tub from 
upsetting. With any brass cage less than 10 in. diameter, an extra large bur- 
nished bottom is furnished for 50 cents additional. 

Nos, 12 to 18 inclusive have heavy zinc bottom and sliding drawer, with 
heavy black-walnut moulding, oil finished, all around the Cage, and to which 
the ornamental iron feet are fastened. 

The following articles required with a Bird and Cage we send to any ad- 
dress on the receipt of $1.00: i quart mixed seed, i bath-tub, i package (12 
sheets) of gravel-paper, i hook to project cage from window, one yard of 
brass chain, i copy of " Holden's Book on Birds." 

Seed Protector, keeps seed off carpet ; by mail, 50 cents. Sun Protector, 
to shade the bird in summer, by mail, 30 cents. 

Lovers of birds, living remote from our large cities, and desirous of obtain- 
ing any article pertaining to birds and cages, can procure the best quality from 
us at the lowest rates. 

To those who are unaware of recent changes in the postal laws, we would 
state that extraordinary inducements are now presented by the Post-OfBce 
Department for the careful and prompt transmission of merchandise sent 
through the mail, whereby at the very low rate of one cent for each two 
ounces, on parcels weighing four pounds or less, purchasers at any point in 
the United States or Territories can have goods fonvarded to the.~i at a 
merely nominal expense. 





•6T 





HF.NllY UElfHK. CHAS. R E I C S"! £ & SKO-. CHAS. FHOIDKN 

26. 



27. 



